Thermal Mass Concrete Walls

Thermal mass is ideally placed within a building where it is shielded from direct solar gain but exposed to the building occupants.

Thermal mass concrete walls.

It is therefore most commonly associated with solid concrete floor slabs in naturally ventilated or low energy mechanically ventilated buildings where the concrete soffit is left exposed to the occupied space. Internal or enclosed water features such as pools can also provide thermal mass but require good ventilation and must be capable of being isolated as. We manufacture and distribute a full line of concrete insulation systems for use in plant precast site cast tilt up and cast in place projects. Thermal mass for limiting summertime overheating.

Thermal mass is a concept in building design that describes how the mass of the building provides inertia against internal temperature fluctuations. With over 35 years of experience we are the undisputed leader in concrete sandwich wall technology and can help you create building envelopes that maximize energy efficiency durability and performance. Very thick thermal mass walls and floors may take too long to heat while those that are too thin won t store enough heat. Introduce thermal mass within lightweight structures by using isolated masonry walls water filled containers phase change materials pcms or lightweight steel framed concrete floors.

Nudura walls have a high storage capacity with low thermal conductivity providing the most useful level of thermal mass. This is typically achieved through its ability to absorb unwanted heat during the day and then release it at night with the help of ventilation from cool night air. Thermal mass walls come in two forms. A lot of heat energy is required to change the temperature of high density materials like precast concrete and this is why concrete has high thermal mass.

Concrete slab floors should be 100 200mm thick for the best performance while thermal mass walls should be 100 150mm thick. The monolithic concrete is layered between two continuous layers of 67mm thick eps foam which isolates the concrete and significantly reduces the flow of heat through the wall. Precast panels are manufactured at a plant and delivered to the job site. Thermal mass walls take advantage of the thermal mass effect which occurs when concrete walls and floors absorb daytime heat and release it at night.

The exact amount should be calculated as part of the design process. Wooden walls by comparison are much easier to heat with their lower thermal mass.