Acara Concepts Ltd

24/11/2025

Before You Insulate a Historic Building… Fix the Moisture Issues First!

Why We Recommend French Drains Prior to Installing Wood Fibre Insulation

When retrofitting solid walled or historic buildings, moisture management is critical.

As suppliers of wood fibre insulation, we often emphasise one key step before any insulation boards or internal systems go in: Install French drains around the property.

Here’s why this matters:

1. Reduces Moisture Loading on Solid Walls

Wood fibre insulation is vapour-open and works brilliantly with traditional buildings — but it relies on walls being able to dry out.

A French drain helps divert groundwater away from the base of the wall, keeping moisture levels controlled and ensuring the insulation performs as intended.

2. Protects the Foundation & Masonry

Historic masonry, lime mortar, and early concrete struggle with rising damp and lateral water ingress.

Improving drainage before insulation reduces the risk of trapped moisture, frost damage, and long-term deterioration.

3. Enhances the Performance of Breathable Retrofit Systems

Breathable systems only work when moisture can move and escape.

By keeping the wall base dry, French drains support:
Better thermal performance
Reduced internal humidity
Longer life for both insulation and finishes

4. Prevents Issues After Insulation Is Installed

Moisture problems that appear after a retrofit can be costly and disruptive.

Installing a French drain beforehand helps avoid:
Internal damp patches
Mould growth
Compromised insulation integrity

5. Supports a Whole-Building Approach

Retrofitting is not just about insulation, it’s about creating a healthy, durable, and efficient building fabric.

Good drainage sets the foundation (literally) for a successful wood fibre insulation project.

Takeaway;

If you're planning to insulate solid external walls, especially in older or heritage buildings, address the moisture first.

A simple French drain can make a huge difference to the performance and longevity of natural, breathable insulation systems.

Note; Before digging the French Drains around the property, you may wish to engage a structural engineer first, to ascertain if there are any structural issues or reasons why this can't be done.

naturheld Acara Concepts Ltd

18/11/2025

Traditional properties don’t behave like modern sealed structures!

There’s a strong recognition across our industry that historic buildings require a fundamentally different approach to retrofit.

Traditional properties don’t behave like modern sealed structures. They manage moisture through natural diffusion, not synthetic membranes. When we introduce impermeable insulation into these older buildings, we can unintentionally create condensation risks, fabric decay, and long-term structural issues.

This is exactly why wood fibre insulation is becoming a key material in conservation-led retrofit.

It supports the building’s natural breathability, buffers moisture safely, reduces thermal bridging, and integrates seamlessly with lime plasters, solid masonry, and timber-frame construction. In short, it works with the building, not against it.

As distributors of Naturheld wood fibre insulation to the construction industry, we’re proud to support contractors, architects, and heritage specialists who are leading the shift toward more thoughtful, fabric-sensitive retrofit strategies. These are the projects that deliver real performance improvements, while respecting the character and health of the building.

The next big challenge is education, making sure every professional involved in traditional building retrofit understands why material compatibility matters, and how breathable solutions can dramatically improve outcomes.

If you’re working on a heritage, conservation, or traditional building and want to explore vapour permeable insulation strategies, we’re always here to help with guidance and technical insight.

17/11/2025

Should I Insulate Solid Walls (no cavity) On The Inside? Or On The Outside?

Insulating the Inside of Solid Walls;

Pluses:

Aesthetic Preservation:

By insulating the inside, you keep the outside appearance of the building intact, preserving its historical character. Most historic properties that I undertake site visits to are protected structures, which generally means that the aesthetic of the external facade can't be changed, so you have no alternative but to insulate on the inside.

Cost:

Generally, internal insulation tends to be less expensive than external insulation.

Minuses:

Reduced Space:

Adding insulation inside can take up space in the rooms, making them smaller.

Moisture Issues:

If not done properly or an unsuitable insulation product is used, internal insulation can trap moisture inside the walls, leading to dampness and mould.

Thermal Bridges:

If parts of the structure are not insulated (e.g., around windows or doors) this can act as "thermal bridges" for heat loss, reducing the effectiveness of the insulation system.

Insulating the Outside of Solid Walls

Pluses:

Thermal Efficiency:

External insulation can greatly improve the overall thermal performance of the building and reduce heat loss through the walls.

Moisture Protection:

By adding a layer on the outside, you protect the structure from rain and weather-related damage, potentially extending the building's lifespan.

Uniform Insulation:

External insulation provides a consistent, continuous layer of insulation around the building, reducing thermal bridges.

Minus;

Alteration of Appearance:

Insulating the outside of the building can change its historical appearance, which may not be desirable for preservation purposes.

Cost and Complexity:

External insulation is often more expensive and complex to install compared to internal insulation.

Planning Permissions:

External insulation may require special planning permissions, especially for buildings in conservation areas.

When insulating a historic property, it's important to work with professionals and suppliers who understand both the technical and historical aspects of the building, to ensure the best results while preserving the building's heritage.

naturheld Acara Concepts Ltd

11/11/2025

Why We Supply Naturheld Wood Fibre Insulation (and why you should use It)

As we push towards more sustainable construction, we’re proud to offer Naturheld, a category leading wood fibre insulation brand, built for performance, health, and climate goals.

🌱 Low Embodied Carbon

Made from by-products of sustainable forestry, wood fibre insulation locks in CO₂ rather than emitting it. It’s a sustainable alternative to PIR, EPS, or mineral / rockwool, all of which carry a heavy carbon footprint.

🏡 Breathable, Hygroscopic, Healthy

Naturheld boards and batts are vapour‑open and hygroscopic, allowing moisture regulation and preventing condensation which is essential in retrofit, heritage, or timber frame details.

No off‑gassing, no itching, just a clean, natural material that enhances indoor comfort.

☀️ Thermal Inertia & Overheating Control

With thermal conductivity as low as 0.036 W/m·K, and high density (~50 kg/m³ for the Flex range), Naturheld delivers strong insulation without sagging, plus excellent summer heat buffering fro the rigid board range.

✅ Specify Naturheld If You’re Working On:
Projects targeting embodied carbon reductions or circular economy credentials
Climate resilient designs in summer overheating risk zones
Heritage renovation or moisture sensitive timber builds
Passive House, low‑energy, or fire rated framed wall systems

📩 Want to learn more or discuss optimal thicknesses and installation details? We’d love to help you choose the right Naturheld wood fibre insulation product for your next project.

naturheld Acara Concepts Ltd

05/11/2025

Ampatop Seal & Naturheld 140 Roof

The Ampatop Seal(350g/m2) monolithic membrane, is rainproof even in adverse conditions(min roof slope 5 deg). However it remains vapour open(breathable), to allow moisture(vapour) passing through the Naturheld wood fibre boards from the inside to escape . This allows for a healthy and mould free roof structure.

The Naturheld 140 vapour permeable wood fibre boards have excellent thermal resistance. However that's not all, they also have great latent heat storage capabilities, which allows them to store solar gain through hot days, and then release it at night when temperatures have cooled. This helps to create a nice ambient temperature throughout the day and night, reducing the need for cooling systems.



Ampack

04/11/2025

Naturally Flexible And Exceptionally Effective Insulation

In every building, maintaining a continuous thermal envelope is key to lasting performance, yet this is often where conventional insulation falls short. Gaps, voids and irregular surfaces can leave even the best designs underperforming.

Naturheld Flex changes that. Crafted from natural, flexible fibres, it effortlessly conforms to the shape of your structure, wrapping around junctions, timbers and services to create a seamless layer of thermal protection.

Whether you’re working on a heritage restoration or a modern retrofit, Flex delivers the adaptability you need without compromise. It’s easy to handle, quick to install and eliminates the need for fillers or foams, saving time, reducing waste and enhancing airtightness.

The result? A breathable, durable and high-performance insulation system that keeps buildings comfortable, efficient and naturally healthy for years to come.

naturheld Acara Concepts Ltd

03/11/2025

Reuse Before You Rebuild: Why the Greenest Building Is the One That Already Exists.

When we talk about sustainability in construction, we often focus on operational energy, better insulation, efficient systems, renewable power. But there’s another major piece of the puzzle: embodied carbon, the carbon released to produce, transport, and assemble building materials.

Here’s the catch:

Most of a building’s carbon emissions occur before anyone even moves in.

When we demolish and rebuild, we throw away not just materials, but all the carbon already “spent” to create them.

That’s why reusing or repurposing existing buildings can be one of the most impactful environmental actions we can take.
Retaining an existing structure can save 50–75% of embodied carbon compared with new construction.
Even with upgrades and retrofits, the carbon cost is almost always lower than starting from scratch.
And as operational emissions fall thanks to efficiency improvements, embodied carbon becomes a larger share of a building’s total footprint.

In simple terms:
The most sustainable building might already be standing right in front of us.

Of course, not every building can or should be reused, safety, functionality, and performance still matter. But if we truly want to decarbonise the built environment, adaptive reuse should be the default starting point, not the exception.

30/10/2025

Applications For Wood Fibre Insulation in Timber Frame Construction

As timber frame continues to establish itself as a leading method for low-carbon construction, the choice of insulation material becomes critical to achieving both performance and durability.

Wood fibre insulation offers a robust, vapour-open solution that aligns perfectly with the principles of healthy, high-performance building envelopes.

Here’s how it integrates effectively into timber frame construction:

🔹 External Wall Insulation (EWI)

Rigid wood fibre boards fixed externally provide a continuous thermal layer, reducing bridging through studs. When rendered or clad, they also improve hygrothermal stability, protecting the timber structure.

🔹 Between Studs

Naturheld Flexible wood fibre batts fit tightly between framing studs, offering excellent thermal and acoustic insulation. Their vapour permeability supports safe moisture migration, preventing interstitial condensation when paired with a diffusion-open wall build-up.

🔹 Internal Lining / Service Zone

Internal boards can be used as part of a service layer or dry lining strategy, adding further thermal resistance and improving humidity buffering, key for occupant comfort and material longevity.

🔹 Roof Applications

Wood fibre performs exceptionally in roof systems, whether above rafters (warm roof) or between them. Its high specific heat capacity provides significant summer overheating protection, an increasingly important consideration under current and future climate design scenarios.

🔹 Floors and Partitions

Between joist applications provide both impact and airborne sound reduction while maintaining breathability within the floor structure.

In summary, wood fibre insulation contributes to:
Improved thermal continuity and airtightness
Moisture-safe and vapour-open wall assemblies
Enhanced acoustic comfort
Increased thermal mass for temperature regulation
A renewable, carbon-sequestering material palette

As building standards evolve toward fabric-first, net-zero, and circular economy principles, wood fibre systems offer a technically credible path to durable, low-carbon envelopes for timber frame construction.

naturheld Ampack Baumit UK Cian Bonnichon

20/10/2025

Renovation And Adaptive Reuse: A Win for the Planet and for Building Performance

When we talk about tackling the climate crisis in construction, there's one strategy that delivers on multiple fronts: Adaptive Reuse

Here’s why this approach is so important:
🏚 Preserving Embodied Carbon
Every existing building contains years, even decades of embodied carbon. Demolishing it wastes all that carbon and adds more emissions through new materials. Renovation keeps that carbon locked in.

🌿 Adding Performance, Not Just Preservation
Renovating doesn’t mean compromising on energy efficiency. With modern materials like wood fibre insulation, it’s possible to upgrade the building envelope, improve thermal performance, and boost indoor comfort, all while using a natural, breathable, carbon-sequestering material.

🔄 Circular Economy in Action
Vacant buildings are a key part of the circular economy. Reuse the structure, retrofit it with sustainable materials, and reduce waste and resource demand.

🌆 Community and Climate Benefits
Renovations breathe new life into neglected spaces, support local economies, and reduce the need for carbon-intensive new developments.
As suppliers of wood fibre insulation, we’re proud to support projects that not only protect heritage and enhance performance, but also cut carbon, naturally.

Every vacant building is a climate opportunity. Let’s make the most of them with smarter materials and more sustainable thinking.

16/10/2025

Rethinking Solid Wall Renovation - Baumit NHL Thermo Insulating Plaster

In the world of heritage restoration and sustainable building, not all plasters are created equal. One product that stands out for me is Baumit NHL Thermo Insulating Plaster, a clever blend of natural hydraulic lime and insulating aggregates designed for breathability, thermal performance, and long term durability.

Here’s why it’s worth considering:

✅ Breathable(Vapour Permeable) – Ideal for older buildings that need to manage internal moisture naturally

✅ Thermally Efficient – Improves insulation without needing external systems

✅ Eco-Friendly – No cement, just lime, lightweight fillers, and smart science

✅ Compatible with Heritage Projects – Works with historic structures, not against them

It’s a practical and conservation friendly solution that bridges traditional materials with modern energy goals.

Whether you’re working on a historic home, a retrofit, or a sustainable build, Baumit NHL Thermo is worth a serious look.

💬 Have you used lime based insulating plasters before? Would love to hear your experiences 🙂

Baumit UK Acara Concepts Ltd Cian Bonnichon

09/10/2025

09/10/2025

Working In York Earlier

A good mix of a CPD on Naturheld Wood Fibre Insulation and our natural and sustainable acoustic products. Followed up by a lovely lunch and a walk around the city 😊

It's a while since I was in York, and I had just forgotten how beautiful the city is though, and how stunning the architecture is. If you have never been, get yourself there for a weekend, or if it's (like me) ages since you have been, treat yourself to a trip back.

naturheld LIGNOTREND Produktions GmbH Wolf Bavaria GmbH

hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag