ABSTRACT
Experiences and testing made in the course of 15 years at the DICAAR—Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale e Architettura at the University of Cagliari, highlighted that the major interventions for the conservation and rehabilitation of traditional buildings are generally to be made on openings and roofs. Walls are, in fact, almost always in a pretty good condition, as are the horizontal timber frames between floors. Some recent researches offered the possibility to experiment new solutions for roof and wall insulation. Starting from the need to put together natural and very performing materials, and the need to limit the transportation of building elements for economic and ecological reasons, some tests were made on new panels made with locally produced fibers, waste product from other artisanal production, and clay. Panels made with clay and straw, loofah or hemp wood have been manufactured and tested both in restoration sites and in the climatic chamber. The results obtained are very promising.
