RIAI Conservation / Meet the Craftsman CPD: Insulating Traditional Solid Walls by Dr Rosanne Walker (March 2023)

The RIAI and the Heritage Contractors Register hosted a live CPD focused on Insulation Options for Traditional Solid Walls by Dr. Rosanne Walker on Tuesday, 28 March 2023.

The series is particularly aimed at RIAI Grade 1 and Grade 2 Conservation Architects and Architects accredited in Conservation at Grade 3. Members who do not have particular conservation expertise are welcome to attend the seminars but are asked to bear in mind that the presentations will be pitched at a level suitable for those with expertise in this area.

Course Aim

The aim of the course is to provide an understanding of the moisture and thermal performance of traditional solid walls and how the application of insulation alters its behaviour. It identifies the important material properties for the wall and insulation (including thermal conductivity, vapour permeability and liquid water transport) and highlights how these properties impact on hygrothermal risk when thermally upgrading traditional solid walls. The talk discusses the results of a research project in which a solid brick wall was insulated with a range of insulation materials including hemp-lime, cork-lime, calcium silicate board and timber fibre board.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course attendees should have a knowledge of: 

• An understanding of the thermal and moisture properties of solid walls and insulation
• Risks associated with thermally upgrading solid traditional walls
• Understanding options to minimise hygrothermal risk when thermally upgrading solid traditional walls

Speakers

Dr Rosanne Walker BA,BAI, PhD has undertaken post-doctoral research in insulating traditional solid walls in Trinity College Dublin. She is currently working as part of a research team in UCD called FabTrads which is investigating the hygrothermal properties of traditional building materials to assist in their thermal upgrading. Rosanne and her colleagues, Dr Caroline Engel Purcell and Anna Hofheinz M.RIAI provide building conservation consultancy advice on traditional building materials including thermal upgrading of traditional buildings (using WUFI etc.).

This is a recording of an event that took place over Zoom on 28 March 2023 and is being delivered via RIAI DigitalChalk:

• Following receipt of your payment via MyRIAI you will receive an email from the RIAI CPD Division (9:00am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday) providing your login details for RIAI Digital Chalk.
• This online course will be accessible from your RIAI Digital Chalk account for 6 months from the date of completion.
• The RIAI will send you a CPD certificate on completion of the online course.