Making the home a space of well-being with low environmental impact: this is a daily challenge that finds in the choice of materials a decisive element of convergence between sustainability and comfort. For this, it is necessary to work on the intelligence and dynamism of materials, identifying high-performance and natural solutions that act over time and adapt to climatic variations and the incessant change in humidity levels.
Starting from this assumption, a thermal insulating plaster formulated using natural materials and high porosity has been designed and manufactured to meet all requirements of thermal comfort, liveability and green footprint. A cultural turning point for the building industry, and a change of approach that can improve people’s quality of life and the environmental conditions of a planet profoundly affected by the level of emissions generated by the construction industry.
What is thermal insulating plaster, and what is it used for?
Thermal insulating plaster is an ideal solution for improving living comfort in the home and ensuring daily well-being. This product is able to create an effective thermal barrier because it reduces heat loss and, as a result, allows the right microclimate in the home in which air and wall temperatures are not misaligned and, therefore, do not generate discomfort.
Choosing the right thermal insulating plaster means working on one’s own well-being and acting on environmental protection, but also reducing winter and summer air conditioning costs: the ability of the materials to retain heat, acting at the same time on the temperature of the air and on that of the walls, in fact, allows one to positively intervene on energy saving by reducing energy costs for heating and cooling the environment.
Diasen plasters and bio-mortars are designed to provide efficient and long-lasting insulation, thanks to the use of porous materials that exploit the insulating properties of air when it is embedded in a large network of cavities, and that in their formulation, respect certain fundamental environmental impact indices.
In summary, choosing thermal insulating plaster means everyday well-being, saving on energy costs and contributing to environmental protection. A winning choice in every situation!
Porosity, the ally of thermal comfort
Diasen bio-mortars and thermal insulating plasters are high-performance solutions thanks to a basic physical characteristic of their formulation, namely the presence of highly porous materials.
Porosity is useful for thermal insulation because it allows air to occupy all the cavities within the material and to remain encased and still. This condition enables the air itself to act as a natural thermal insulator, limiting heat loss phenomena. Furthermore, porosity provides a fundamental property because the material can absorb and release moisture, acting as a hygrometric lung. The balance of humidity levels with respect to indoor temperature is, in fact, one of the cornerstones of living comfort as well as a measure of healthiness because it contributes to better air quality and reduces the formation of condensation that is at the root of mould generation.
The most porous and natural materials we use are cork, perlite, and pumice stone; materials that are very different in nature and origin but share a very high porosity and a molecular structure that reveals a very extensive warp of cavities, both regular and irregular, that incorporate air, blocking its movement and thus enhancing its insulating vocation.
Cork
Cork is the renewable bark of a typically Mediterranean oak tree that is extracted every ten years without damaging the plant. The notoriety of its use is mainly linked to the cork sector for wine bottling. Still, its unique and special properties make cork in construction an exceptional material that offers multiple advantages: thermal insulation, resistance, resilience and extraordinary durability.
Cork has exceptional insulating properties that keep the home warm in winter and cool in summer, contributing to the construction of buildings inspired by the vision of sustainable comfort and sheltered from the risks of common pathologies such as the development of condensation and the consequent formation of mould in rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms where humidity is a very common and widespread problem.
Therefore, the centrality of cork in Diasen solutions is a profound differentiator because it feeds original formulations and technologies that make our thermal insulating plaster a winner.
Perlite and thermal insulating plaster
There is another highly porous insulation material that is used in our thermal insulating plaster and belongs to the category of proximity materials: perlite, a material of volcanic origin that is used in expanded form. It is a very porous rock that retains water.
By reducing it to granules and subjecting it to the effect of extreme heating, the water evaporates and causes the granules to expand. The glassy spheres that are formed concentrate important qualities: lightness, stability, chemical inertia, resistance to pests and fire, as well as high breathability due to the network of closed alveoli that feed its insulating vocation and make it suitable for use in our thermal insulating plaster.
Pumice stone
One of the natural inorganic materials used in our thermal insulating plaster is pumice, a volcanic rock composed of almost 90 per cent air and endowed with a porosity that makes it the only material of mineral origin able to float and so fragile that it is perfect for being reduced to granules to be used in a thermal insulating plaster. Pumice stone is also derived from magmatic activity and is, therefore, a 100 per cent natural material.
The combination of strength and lightness, applied in biomalta formulations, ensures properties of resistance to external stress and moisture absorption. At the same time, the well-known porosity guarantees lightness, thermal insulation, and great resistance to flame propagation.
Pumice stone in construction is a versatile material that offers many advantages: resistant to weather, mould and moisture. It has exceptional insulating properties that help keep the house warm in winter and cool in summer.
Conclusions
The use of natural materials in construction is an essential step towards a more sustainable and responsible future. Perlite, cork, pumice stone and expanded amorphous silicon are materials with a low environmental impact as well as being naturally insulating, enabling all goals of sustainable comfort, energy saving and air quality to be met.
