Barnstorming products

Natural Building Technology's ecologically sensitive building materials and systems have been used to convert a 200 year old barn.

Natural Building Technology's ecologically sensitive building materials and systems have been used to convert a 200 year old barn, which was in very poor condition, into a luxurious family home with modern amenities throughout.

The client wished to restore the barn sympathetically, using traditional materials wherever possible, with the objective of achieving the highest environmental and performance standards.

A crucial consideration was a "vapour open" construction, with no the vapour barriers, as these have caused other barn conversions to rot, and decay within a few years.

The walls were designed to a U-value of 0.2 W/m2K using 60mm thick Pavatherm Plus Woodfibre boards, which were then battened and clad with timber boarding.

A 60mm Diffutherm board was added to the inside of the building to provide additional insulation.

The roof uses 35mm Isolair Woodfibre board as sarking with 175mm of cellulose insulation between the rafters and achieves an impressive U value of 0.2 W/m2K.

All the wood fibre boards provide air tightness, being interlocking on all 4 sides.

They also ensure a breathing construction and draw excess moisture out of the building due to their highly hygroscopic properties.

The Woodfibre board's high density and specific heat capacity give excellent thermal mass to the building, preventing overheating and thermal movement of the structure.

They also provide excellent acoustic insulation.

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