Can mass-timber products provide effective thermal mass in low and medium rise construction

The continued improvement of thermal performance requirements has increased the need for a better understanding of thermal capacitance in new and existing buildings. Traditionally, the materials selected to provide thermal capacitance include clay brick and concrete-based products, which are massive materials and have a relatively high embodied-energy. Masstimber products, which have a long history of use within private and public Japanese buildings, may provide a significant thermal capacitance benefit. This paper describes recent research that has simulated the relative thermal performance of typical Australian house designs where different materials, including mass-timber, have been tested as internal partition walls.