Wattle and daub

Wattle and daub

Wattle and daub is a construction technique that involves using thin timber members, such as wood, cane, or bamboo, to create a framework (wattlework) that is then filled with a mixture of ground material and organic fibers (daub). This technique results in a sturdy structure that is commonly used for walls and other building elements.From: Earthen Architecture: Past, Present and Future [2019], Energy retrofit infill panels for historic timber-framed buildings in the UK: physical test panel monitoring versus hygrothermal simulation [2021]

Energy retrofit of historic timber-frame buildings – hygrothermal monitoring of building fabric

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Published in Aziliz Vandesande, Els Verstrynge, Koen van Balen, Preventive Conservation - From Climate and Damage Monitoring to a Systemic and Integrated Approach, 2020

C.J. Whitman, O. Prizeman, J. Gwilliam, P. Walker, A. Shea

Infill panels were traditionally often of wattle-and-daub a framework of thin timber members (wattlework) covered by an earthen render (daub). Other historic infills include lath and plaster and brick nogging (Harris, 2010). Where these historic infill materials survive, their conservation should be paramount. However, where they are beyond repair, have already been replaced with inappropriate materials or where their renewal is required due to conservation of the historic timber frame, there exists the opportunity to replace them with materials with improved thermal performance (Historic England, 2016).

Energy retrofit infill panels for historic timber-framed buildings in the UK: physical test panel monitoring versus hygrothermal simulation

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Journal Information

Published in Architectural Science Review, 2021

Christopher J. Whitman, Oriel Prizeman, Julie Gwilliam, Andy Shea, Pete Walker

Historic timber-framed buildings in the UK consist of a structural timber frame with a solid infill. This is traditionally wattle-and-daub, a framework of thin timber members (wattlework) covered by an earthen render (daub). Other historic infills include lath and plaster and brick nogging (Harris 2010). Whist some of these buildings are over-clad with tiles, weatherboarding or continuous plaster, in many cases the timber frame is exposed both internally and externally (Figures 1 and 2).

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Energy retrofit of historic timber-frame buildings – hygrothermal monitoring of building fabric

Energy retrofit infill panels for historic timber-framed buildings in the UK: physical test panel monitoring versus hygrothermal simulation