Wall panels of Arundo donax L. for environmentally sustainable agriculture buildings: Thermal performance evaluation

Arundo donax L., commonly known as “giant reed”, is a perennial grass species with hollow stems, which currently can be found in temperateand subtropical regions of both hemispheres, above all in riparian wetlands. In the Mediterranean region Arundo donax has been traditionally employed to build fences and temporary shelters for men and animals, or as prop for plants and as windbreak or shading barrier. In orderto promote the potentialutilization of Arundo donaxL. stems as biocompatible building material, in this paper the construction of a particular 8 cm-tick panel made up of two external natural lime plaster layers with an internal bearing structure of Arundo donaxL. stems, is proposed to be used in vertical partition walls of environmentally friendly agricultural buildings. The thermal insulation performance of the panel is investigated, as it can be an effective and cheapsolution for microclimate passive control inside buildings. In particular, the thermal conductance of several specimens subjected to a heat flow in analmost steady state was carried out, in compliance with the ISO standard 9869. The average thermal conductance of about 1.31 W·m -2·K-1 obtained,has confirmed the good heat-insulating properties of the proposed solution. As it does not require special manual skills, several uses of vertical partition walls made up of this material in agricultural and rural buildings can be encouraged. The lightness and workability o f Arundo donax L., whichalso enable unskilled workers, such as farmers themselves, to construct the panels, as well as its low cost and thermophysical properties can meet the growing demand for economically and environmentally sustainable building.