Hygrothermal Testing and Modelling of an Interior Energy and Structural Retrofit of a Double Wythe Brick Wall

With the current housing crisis, it is imperative to increase the current housing stock, and one way to do this is to convert old commercial and industrial buildings into much needed housing. However, many of these buildings use double-wythe structural walls, which need to undergo both structural and thermal retrofits to meet current day codes before they can be deemed fit for use as a residential structure. This research project explored the potential of using structural wood panels affixed to the interior face of double wythe brick walls, coupled with wood fibre insulation, to develop a biogenic retrofit solution that simultaneously provides the required seismic stability and thermal performance. The internal retrofit of brick assemblies poise significant building science challenges, which only increases through the introduction of biogenic insulations to the solution. To determine the potential of the proposed solution, a full scale, 3 m by 3 m mock-up was built and tested within CABER’s guarded hot box for both thermal and hygrothermal performance over a 3-month period in Fall of 2024. This presentation will provide an overview of the experimental testing conducted, and how that data was used to support extensive hygrothermal modelling of the proposed system. The main outcomes of the work will also be presented, along with a discussion around the testing methodologies used to evaluate the full-scale prototype. 

Christopher Baldwin

Project Manager – Carleton University’s Centre for Advanced Building Envelope Research (CABER)

Dr. Christopher Baldwin is the Project Manager at Carleton University’s Centre for Advanced Building Envelope Research (CABER). He completed his B.Eng., M.A.Sc., and Ph.D. at Carleton University in Mechanical Engineering, where he focused on developing energy efficient building systems, initially focusing on mechanical systems, before shifting his research focus to improving the design and performance of building envelope materials and systems. Since 2019, he has overseen the design, construction and now research activities at CABER, where he oversees full scale research and testing projects in the state of the art lab, focusing on assessing the performance of new materials and assemblies to improve Canada’s built environment. Current projects focus on development of new construction assemblies for residential and commercial buildings, as well as the retrofit of Canada’s existing building stock.

Length: 00:53:22

Last Updated: October 15, 2025