Sustainable insulation of historical wooden and stone buildings with lime-hemp

In this interdisciplinary project a climate-neutral building material that is suitable for thermal insula-tion of historical wooden and stone buildings is studied. Many historical buildings, e.g. bulhusen on Gotland, have in recent decades been thermally insulated with inappropriate materials. Damage caused by moisture and mold has increased and cultural and historical values have been damaged. Hemp-lime is a sustainable building material that consists of hemp shiv and lime. It works differently than conventional insulating materials; in addition to good thermal insulation properties, it is also diffusion open and has good thermal mass and moisture buffering capacity. This project will study the durability of the material (mold, moisture) and opportunities for careful renovation with a good indoor climate and conservation of historical values. Lab and full-scale studies are conducted. The aim of the project is to sustainably improve energy efficiency while preserving historical values.