From Material Design to Building-Envelope Performance: Multiscale Evaluation of Phase-Change-Material-Enhanced Hemp-Lime Composites

This thesis develops phase-change-material-enhanced hemp-lime composites (PCM-HLC) by impregnating hemp shiv with bio-derived PCMs and designing binders with supplementary cementitious materials to support up to 70% PCM substitution. The 70% composite showed up to 80% higher specific heat capacity during phase transition, but at the cost of lower compressive strength and a 66% drop in moisture buffering value. Numerical modelling of a multilayer panel for a cold climate found an optimised 10 cm design that eliminated the modelled summer cooling demand and cut winter heating energy by 27% versus a monolithic HLC baseline.