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Results

Overall the data showed the originally anticipated results. Wood absorbed the most in comparison to the rest of the test materials. The series of experiments revealed that during the first hour every material began to absorb the moisture in the test chamber at a faster rate than the remainder of the experiment. The red clay brick showed a 2 hr stall in moisture absorption. This was unexpected but was explained upon further research. Originally the anticipated results for clay were that it would be much more effective at absorbing moisture because of its porous nature. However,  though clay brick is highly porous, it is impermeable. It is important to note that porosity is not the same as permeability. Porosity is the measure of void spaces in a given material, whereas permeability is when a given material allows liquid or gasses to pass through. The remaining two materials, wood and concrete performed at a steady rate. The concrete uptake performance reflected the predictions of the literature review. The wood was projected to absorb less than the concrete brick however because the wood was untreated, it had more porous surface area.
MATERIAL
 WEIGHT BEFORE (lbs)
WEIGHT AFTER (lbs)
CHANGE
Wood
3.2
3.62
0.42
Clay Brick
4.0
4.1
0.1
Concrete Brick
4.4
4.6
0.2
Picture
Picture
The results for soil were completely unexpected. The soil was in fact expected to uptake more moisture than all of the building materials combined. However the soil moisture uptake was the least effective. This is because the soil does not work alone in green walls. However these results can still be used to compare against porous materials.
Picture
Material dew point absorption over time.
Picture
Material % reduction.
​

Next Steps

Though wall and floor materiality are important factors to consider during design, ceiling and furniture materiality should be considered as well. The tests that were conducted assume a single material within an empty room, but what happens when the space is filled with furniture that uses materials with effective moisture buffer performance? Or instead of a green wall opt for a texture wall with moisture buffer qualities. These materials could be tested within the testing chamber either alongside the wall and floor materiality or on its own.  ​
Picture
Picture
                             Room Material Variations    rendered in Lumion
The materials that were used in this experiment all have the same surface area, but an additional experiment could be conducted where the materials surface area varies to reflect the different shapes and sizes that typically exist in a home or office.

Proposal

Background

Construction

Methodology

Results

  • Projects
    • Environment Box
    • Passive Refrigeration
    • Water Cooling
    • Fog Catching
    • Roof Geometries
    • Optimal Insulation
    • Cooler Windcatcher
    • Green Machine
    • Mitigating Humidity
    • Convective Air Flow
    • Styrene Reuse
    • Thermal Reflection
    • ETFE Rigidification
    • Phase Change Materials
    • Polar Reflection
    • Cavity Depth Variation
    • Vapor Permeability
    • Algae Facade
    • Moisture Buffering
    • Engineered Geometries
    • Recycled Desiccant Materials
    • Living Wall
    • Solar Shading Facades
    • SHADESin.reACTION
    • Low-Fab Dehumidification
    • Breathing Wall
    • Urban Heat Island
    • Acoustical Design
    • Latent Heat of PCM's
    • Insulative Qualities of Air
  • About
  • Lectures
    • Building Science Basics I
    • Building Science Basics II
    • Research & Literature Review
    • Scales of Fabrication
    • Electronics
    • Methodology
    • Graphical Excellence
    • Moving Graphics
  • Assignments
    • 1: Research Proposal
    • 2: Prototype
    • 3: Data
    • 4: Design Proposal
    • Presentation & Paper
  • Workshops
    • Thermal Scavenger Hunt
    • Balance Point Game
    • Advanced Shop Training
    • Basic Electronics
    • Advanced Electronics
    • Excel & Illustrator
    • Data Visualization
    • Videos
    • Animations
  • Syllabus
  • Resources