Assessing the Potential of a New Building Material in Bhutan in relation to Energy-efficiency and Social Aspects

Abstract

This study explores the potential of new building insulation material specifically wood wool in Bhutanese Buildings. To cover social and performance-related aspects a quantitative and semi-structured qualitative interview study about the perception of current construction quality and methods and new building materials was conducted as well as a simulation study with different renovation scenarios. Investigated were the thermal and energy performance of an existing building in a cold and a hot climate zone with the different variations of the existing state, reduced leakages, additional roof insulation, and additional roof and façade insulation. In hot climates also the effect of shading in combination with roof and façade insulation was explored. Results showed that roof insulation in cold climatic zones offers a great improvement in thermal comfort and energy use in combination with a heater. Façade and roof insulation improved the performance more but didn’t present a big improvement. In hot climates the effect of insulation depended on the usage of a cooler, as temperatures are less extreme but in general warmer than without any insulation. Shading in combination with roof and façade insulation resulted in the most improvement. The outcome of the survey study was the unsatisfactory condition of most current buildings. People stated that a new building material needs to prove that it is durable, cost-effective, available, performing well, possible to implement without special skilled labor, and compatible with the traditional style of buildings in Bhutan. Wood Wool was overall rated as suitable for Bhutan as wood is available almost in all regions and the production doesn’t require a lot of special skills, however, concerns were expressed about the availability of cement for wood wool and its durability and stability.

Popular Abstract

The whole world is discussing carbon emissions, but would you have guessed that a smal lcountry in the Himalayan mountains has already achieved what rich nations are aiming for? The enchanting kingdom of Bhutan is famous for being the world’s first carbon-negative country. But is it really the first? Or maybe the last? Just as in industrialized countries Bhutan’s emissions are rising with its further economic development.

A considerable part of these emissions is produced by heating and cooling systems in buildings. Despite the alpine climate in the North and the tropical conditions in the South only a very little number of houses are built with an insulation layer. This leads to high energy losses especially in the cold climate areas of Bhutan. Furthermore, the study showed that Bhutanese people are not satisfied with the temperatures in their homes, which follow pretty much the exterior temperatures with only a few degrees difference.

So why is it not common to use insulation which would improve the indoor temperatures and energy losses? To investigate this the study uses the example of Wood Wool insulation – a sustainable, long proven and tropical climate suitable material, which ingredients (Wood and Cement) can be found in Bhutan and its surrounding countries. Simulations showed that a Wood Wool insulation on the roof would already bring a major improvement in cold climates to reduce emissions and improve indoor temperatures.

Well, there are a lot of challenges a new material like Wood Wool needs to master before being accepted and used. Most people in Bhutan are very critical towards new technologies. This is mostly due to a lack of education and high traditional values – Buildings in Bhutan are closely connected to tradition as their style was kept over centuries and represents important Buddhist values. Since the preserving of the traditional building style is as well mandated by building laws, a new insulation material like Wood Wool needs to be implementable in it. A good short-term solution could be to only use insulation on the roof. This improves the indoor climate, energy use and doesn’t change the façade. As in most developing countries financial factors are key to the adaption of new technologies. In Bhutan the most crucial financial factor is local production. This is because of Bhutan’s infrastructure. As you can probably imagine, it isn’t easy for a developing country to make an area of mountainous terrain accessible. Bridges and Tunnels are expensive and might break with the next landslide or earthquake. So far, transport of people and goods is happening exclusively over roads. The roads are not in a good condition – a 100 km drive can take you easily up to five hours. This state creates immense costs for transporting materials. Additionally, most modern building materials are not produced in Bhutan but imported from India. This makes a local production with existing materials crucial to having an affordable and sustainable material. Wood is widely available in almost all locations in Bhutan. Cement on the other hand isn’t. Here Wood Wool as an insulation material has a disadvantage. A new building material needs to prove that it is durable, cost-effective, available, performing well, possible to implement without special skilled labor, and compatible with the traditional style of buildings in Bhutan. These parameters need to be shown to the wide public of Bhutan’s society as building laws alone cannot be implemented consequently enough in some regions to ensure the usage of insulation.

In this study you don’t only dive into the Bhutanese ways of construction, but also into centuries of tradition, culture and religion and the unique conditions of calling a place like the Himalayas your home. This study shows the need for and requirements on a new insulation material in Bhutan. It can be a guide for introducing new materials to Bhutan or a basis for further development of the usage of Wood Wool in Bhutan.

• author: Behmer, Charlotte and Roncevic, Denis
• supervisor: Henrik Davidsson; Tshewang Lhendup; Samten Lhendup; Pimkamol Mattsson
• organization: Division of Energy and Building Design
• course: AEBM01 20242
• year: 2025
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Technology and Engineering; Arts and Architecture
• keywords: Bhutan, Architecture, Buildings, Energy-Efficiency, Insulation, Wood Wool, Thermal Comfort, Energy Use, Interview Study, Developing Countries, Technology Transfer, Sustainable Materials, Traditional Architecture
• language: English
• id: 9182043
• date added to LUP: 2025-02-10 14:23:07
• date last changed: 2025-02-10 14:23:07