Year: 2011

Location: Faenza, Italy

Country: Italy

Owner Builder: Diverse Ownership

Contractor: Diverse Contractors

Designer: Daniele Cappelli

---

Problem / Solution

Restoration of a small apartment in the centre of Faenza (Italy) with general renovation to modern comfort. Importance given to the energy efficiency, also for the ground floor because there are heated rooms. The location in the city centre created difficulty in material procurement, so it is hard to reach the building site with common trucks.

Experience

Insulation, hydrophobic and easy to handle.

Why expanded clay?

Expanded clay is used for thermal insulation thanks to its low conductivity, reducing heat loss into the ground. So a special type of expanded clay that is hydrophobic and does not retain water is used in granular form for quickly creating an insulating layer which is also very effective against rising damp. The expanded clay is laid directly in bags to simplify the laying of the material. The expanded clay light bags are also easy to transport with small vehicles to the city centre and then to handle into the building.