Preliminary results of thermal conductivity test on earth and fibers building elements, from waste materials to thermal constructive solution

Earth and natural fibers are local materials that can be find worldwide, both obtained from other production processes, commonly considered as waste. The present work describes the development and assessment of building materials made of earth and vegetable fibbers with diverse thermal characteristics, based on thermal conductivity test. The reuse soil and natural fibers as widely available materials was proposed because both do not need transportation and they require a minimum expenditure of energy for their transformation. Furthermore, they maintain natural and healthy characteristics in their whole life cycle: in the construction process, during their use and also at the moment of dismission. This paper presents the initial stage of research and test of bio and geo based materials, a comparison of the thermal capacity in various fiber-earth composite building elements developed in Sardinia (Italy), that could represent an interesting contribution both for new sustainable construction and to improve the thermal performance of existing buildings.