Smart vapour barrier pilot; Longyearbyen dwellings

Statsbygg’s pilot project in Gruvedalen, Longyearbyen, consist of six houses with a total of 60 dwellings. The houses are made with compact wooden roof and smart vapour barrier. The roof is part of Skanska Husfabrikken construction modules, and built with wooden loadbearing beams with mineral wool insulation between the beams, underlayer roof, and grey asphalt roofing. The vapour barrier «DuPontTM AirGuard®Smart» (SINTEF Certification No. 20321) delivered by Isola is used.

Smart vapour barriers can vary the vapour resistance to what is actually needed. Physically, they operate so that at low relative humidity (RH) the vapour resistance is high, while when the RH increases, the vapour resistance decreases. In winter, when the RH in the indoor air is low, the vapour resistance will be large. And in summer, when the RH in the indoor air is higher, the vapour resistance will be lower.

The pilot project will demonstrate and document roof performance with a product type we consider ready for field testing. The localization in Longyearbyen is of particular interest because of its geographical location and the climatic conditions.

Klima 2050 will use the pilot project at Longyearbyen to verify calculations and laboratory measurements showing that compact wooden roof can be built with organic materials if a smart vapour barrier is used on the warm side of the structure. The pilot project will help clarify the terms of use of the solution.