From Heat to Cold: How Temperature Variations Affect Emissions from Wooden Building Materials

Lead Institute HF Institute of Wood Research

Climate Influence on VOC Emissions in Timber Buildings

Numerical Description of Indoor Air Concentration in Wooden Houses Depending on Climatic Conditions

How does temperature affect emissions from wooden building materials? The project examines release of volatile organic compounds in two houses. The goal is to determine the impact of temperature and improve the prediction of indoor air concentrations.

Background and Objective

Wood and wood-based materials release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can affect indoor air quality. While the previous project investigated the general influence of wood building materials on indoor air quality, this follow-up project focusses on the role of temperature.

The aim of the project is to systematically investigate how indoor and outdoor temperature variations affect emissions from timber building materials. For this purpose, two new model houses will be built that can be heated in winter and actively cooled in summer. The houses differ in the choice of insulation materials: Does mineral wool or cellulose insulation provide better thermal protection, and how does this choice influence emission behaviour?

The results will be used to develop models for predicting indoor air concentrations and thus optimise the use of sustainable materials in a targeted manner.

Approach

Two model houses will be constructed with dimensions corresponding to the reference room specified in DIN EN 16516. Both houses will be built using timber frame construction on an outdoor test site but will differ in the type of insulation material used.

All construction materials will undergo standardized VOC emission testing in test chambers. In addition, the wall assemblies will be examined in a dual-chamber system (project component: WKI) to systematically analyse the differences between real weather conditions and artificially controlled parameters.

Furthermore, the emission behaviour will be modelled to enable a practical assessment of wood-based construction materials in the building sector.

Our Research Questions

How do temperature variations influence VOC emissions from wooden building materials under real climatic conditions compared to standardized laboratory tests?
What impact does the choice of insulation material (mineral wool vs. cellulose) have on indoor air quality and the emission behaviour of wooden constructions?
To what extent can temperature-dependent emissions from wooden building materials be reliably predicted using numerical models and applied in construction practice?