Natural materials for healthy living

In this article, we will review the advantages of the new materials being increasingly used in the construction of eco-friendly housing.

Cellulose wadding

Cellulose wadding for home insulation is manufactured from recycled newspapers. Selected for its thermal, acoustic, and environmental properties, cellulose wadding is the ultimate eco-friendly insulation material.

We use cellulose wadding for attics (unfinished spaces), roofs (slopes), and walls. The properties of cellulose provide superior airtightness compared to other types of insulation. These flakes penetrate the smallest crevices of your home to minimize both thermal and acoustic heat loss.

Cellulose wadding is used for insulation in the renovation and construction of BBC-Effinergie® and passive houses.

For our insulation and construction projects, we use cellulose wadding produced by the finest French manufacturers. Furthermore, we are a certified installer of cellulose wadding.

Learn more about the use of new construction materials on this site.

Wood Fiber

Wood fiber panels are produced by defibering softwood residues. The addition of water creates a pulp that, once molded, laminated, and dried, results in panels of varying densities, profiles, and thicknesses. No adhesives are used; instead, the wood’s natural resin binds the fibers together.

A complete and high-performance natural insulator, providing protection against both summer heat and winter cold.

A complete insulator

• Steam-powered distribution
• Efficient hygrometric regulator
• An ideal balance of thermal insulation for both winter and summer (high thermal mass)
• Excellent sound insulation and thermal inertia

In the form of a rigid panel, it can be easily installed using mechanical fasteners on any substrate. However, insulating between rafters is more challenging. Cutting defects create thermal bridges, a problem not encountered with blown-in cellulose fiber insulation.

Various applications: interior and exterior walls, floors, ceilings, roofing (ideal for external insulation), and partitions.

Hemp

France is Europe’s leading producer of hemp.

Hemp insulation is ideal, offering both comfort and health benefits. It delivers excellent technical performance.

And it is an eco-friendly material par excellence:

• It is mechanically manufactured: the hemp fibers are “frayed” and “expanded,”
• Hemp is one of the few major crops that requires no herbicides, insecticides, or fungicides.

Hemp insulation boards are used for thermal and acoustic insulation in attics, under roofing, partitions, walls, floors, frameworks, and, in general, all structural voids.

In the form of a semi-rigid panel, it can be easily installed using mechanical fasteners on any surface. However, providing insulation between rafters is more challenging to manage.

Cutting defects create thermal bridges that are not encountered in blown-in cellulose fiber insulation.

This article was written in collaboration with Technical Architecture Review of the Luxembourg Association of Engineers.