natureplus Europe Event Series 2024

Natural Materials for RETROFIT:
Specific Applications, Barriers and Advantages

Join natureplus and its partners Agrodome (NL), ASBP (UK), IBO (AT) and Baubioswiss (CH) for a European-wide event series entitled “Natural Materials for RETROFIT - Specific Applications, Barriers and Advantages”, with online and in-person events taking place from 2nd to 12th December 2024.

Europe faces a huge retrofit challenge. Emissions from existing buildings account for 36 per cent of the EU’s total CO2 emissions. In the UK alone, an estimated 29 million homes are in need of retrofit by 2050 and coherent Government support is lacking. In Germany, an alliance of more than a dozen NGOs in Germany has voiced “great sorrow” about a looming collapse of sustainable building retrofitting in the country, arguing this could threaten climate targets, jobs and social peace.

But the solutions are out there! The unique characteristics of natural materials, such as ‘breathability’ and low embodied carbon, make them a perfect fit for retrofit, particularly for traditional and solid wall buildings where ensuring a ‘vapour open’ fabric is key. But regulatory barriers and perceived higher costs are stalling increased uptake. What steps are required to roll out natural materials at scale to help meet the retrofit challenge?

Join us to find out more about:

• Practical considerations for the design and installation of natural materials and bio-based building products, including windows and insulation in walls and floors. Featuring top tips, specification advice, installation details and lessons learned.

• The challenges facing the natural materials sector, including regulatory barriers, lack of specialist knowledge, and perceived risks about durability, costs and fire performance.

• Different applications for natural materials in retrofit featuring case studies from housing and education.

• The numerous advantageous characteristics of natural materials, such as low embodied carbon, breathability and local sourcing, and many more!

All events will be held in English.

Event programme (All times CET)

Monday 2nd December, 15:00-17:00, Online (natureplus)

Kick-off webinar: Retrofitting the Building Shell - Focus on Insulation and Windows with Natural Materials

A key advantage of renovation over new construction is the significant savings in embodied energy. Targeted measures like insulating the building envelope and upgrading windows can further reduce energy consumption during use. That’s why this kick-off webinar, which also marks the first natureplus Masterclass, will focus on these two essential areas. Learn about practical material and planning solutions for insulation and window construction using sustainable materials in renovation contexts.

Join Dr. Arnaud Evrard (Professor at ETH Zurich) for valuable insights into natural (interior) insulation materials, their building physics characteristics, and the specific requirements and challenges they pose. Also, meet Judith Resch (Carpenter and Architect), who will share with us the planning and design advantages that wooden windows offer in renovations. Learn with her how the concept of “simple“ building can be put into practice through the use of wood, while still meeting the highest standards. Afterwards, there will be time for your questions and lively discussions. In cooperation with Bundesverband ProHolzfenster.
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Tuesday 3rd December, 14:00-15:30, Online (ASBP)

Natural Materials for Retrofit - Walls, Windows and Floors

Join the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products for a 90-minute webinar on how to retrofit using natural and breathable materials. This practical webinar will feature expert speakers from the ASBP membership present case studies on timber windows, limecrete floors and bio-based external and internal wall insulation. Find out top tips, specification advice, installation details and lessons learned.
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Wednesday 4th or Tuesday 10th December tbc, Driebergen-Rijsenburg, Netherlands (Agrodome)

Retrofitting Social Real Estate

Join Agrodome in the Netherlands for an in-person event focussed on the retrofitting of social real estate. The event will feature a presentation of a retrofitted school building with re-use of materials and adding of biobased, circular materials to create a comfortable and engaging environment for education.‍

Wednesday 11th December, 17:00-18:30 Uhr, Online (Baubioswiss)

Retrofit Case Study: Locally Available Natural Building Materials

Hear more about the renovation of a listed farmhouse building which has been retrofitted using natural building materials including interior insulation made from local spelt chaff and lime, and reused building components to show how circular construction can be consistently realised in practice. By slowing down the process, the owners and architects enable interested people to get involved, ensuring an impact beyond the project.

Nadine Dajanović and Semjon Nicola Fehr are architects and trained earth builders, completing their master's degree in architecture with BASEhabitat at the University of Art and Design Linz. They have worked in various architectural offices in Switzerland and refined their craft skills on a range of construction sites across Europe.

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Thursday 12th December, 17:00-18:30, Online (IBO)

Humidity and Impacts on Natural Materials in Retrofit

Improving the energy efficiency of our housing stock requires significant retrofit measures. Taking the focus away from low thermal conductivity materials (e.g. PIR) allows us to consider a wider range of retrofit solutions to be utilised, such as natural fibre insulation.

Currently, there are obstacles in the use of building materials such as wood fibre materials, hemp, straw, loam, lime, sheep's wool, etc. among building owners, building authorities, planners and processors. The reasons for this are a lack of information, a lack of specialist knowledge about connections, details and possible combinations, as well as uncertainties about durability and costs.

Florian Teichmann, an academic from TU Wien with practical knowledge in building and building physics, presents some astonishing results from the natuRebuilt project about the performance of natural materials in regard to humidity control in retrofit.

Registration

Registration for all events is via the natureplus website (payment via Eventbrite).

Event fees:

• Free - Members of all hosting associations
(natureplus, Agrodome, ASBP, Baubioswiss, IBO, Bundesverband ProHolzfenster)
• Free – Students
• €20 – Members of partner organisations* and natureplus clients
• €35 – General admittance

Special offer! Buy a ticket to the whole series and receive entry to one event for free.

Get your conference ticket here.
Get your tickets for single events here.

*natureplus partner organisations: ICEA, ANAB, Ökozenter Pafendall, VIBE, YBE
*ASBP partner organisations in the UK: ACAN, AECB, BWF, CIBSE, CIOB, CIRIA, Fit for the Future, FIS, Good Homes Alliance, Retrofit Works, Passivhaus Trust, SuperHomes, STBA, The Green Register and Woodknowledge Wales