How good is wood? The thermal, hygrothermal and environmental performance of wood-based building materials

The successful applicant will join the EPSRC Centre for Decarbonisation of the Built Environment (dCarb) (see http://www.bath.ac.uk/ace/pg-research/cdt-decarbonisation/) at the University of Bath.

The Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering (see http://www.bath.ac.uk/departments/department-of-architecture-civil-engineering/) was ranked joint first in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) for its submission in the Architecture, Built Environment and Planning unit of assessment. Overall, 90% of its research activity was graded as either world-leading or internationally excellent. We have outstanding facilities to support our research, supported through EPSRC investment at our HIVE facility at the Building Research Park (see http://www.bath.ac.uk/research/centres/brp), or on campus through, for example, our new VSIMULATORS facility (see https://www.vsimulators.co.uk).

Project topic: How good is wood? The thermal, hygrothermal and environmental performance of wood-based building materials

The materials used to construct a building are a key determinant of its environmental footprint, as well as its thermal and hygrothermal performance. For example, the embodied carbon of buildings can account for more than 50% of their whole life carbon footprint (Crawford, 2011), and decarbonising buildings is one of the most critical challenges that the construction industry is facing.

Timber and wood-based materials are an alternative to dominant materials such as concrete and steel. They are sometimes used for their perceived lower environmental footprint, and can have positive hygrothermal aspects that have been linked to improved indoor air quality. However, timber-based buildings typically have a lower thermal mass, which is sometimes perceived to be a problem for thermal performance. In addition, life cycle assessment (LCA) research has shown that the environmental footprint of timber can vary widely depending, for example, on whether the wood is from a sustainable source and how it is reused or disposed of at the end of its life (Richardson, 2017).

This PhD research will involve an interdisciplinary mixture of modelling and experimental testing of a selection of wood-based materials, to determine their relative LCA, thermal and hygrothermal attributes. This will improve the evidence base for both academic researchers and industry practitioners involved in the design and construction of buildings. A valuable contribution of the work will be the coherent treatment of LCA, thermal and hygrothermal aspects – topics that are inter-related but are often not dealt with together. The outputs of this research could feed into the development of industry standards, such as EN 15804, LEED and BREEAM, and so influence architectural and engineering practices.

There will be opportunities to carry out experimental work at Bath’s groundbreaking £1m Building Research Park, and to undertake a 3-month placement on real, cutting-edge construction projects as part of a new £1.5m project underway by Woodknowledge Wales. There will also be opportunities to engage with industry research bodies, such as TRADA.