The effect of cross-laminated timber (CLT) material on building energy performance: A case study of Trabzon city

Today it is seen that the environment is suffering from pollution, and the consumption of energy sources is increasing rapidly. In order to prevent these problems that have been mostly caused by buildings, low-energy building designs which benefit from ecological materials, seem to be preferential. Therefore, the utilization for CLT (cross laminated timber), a structural wood material, is increasing day by day in the world as well as in Turkiye due to being a sustainable building material and having numerous advantages. Within this context, first part of the study literature researches were made in line with the aim and scope of the thesis study. In the second part, experimental measurement was carried out to determine the heat conductivity coefficients of 26 different wall layers, with CLT materials, which were built by using various insulation and coating materials for exterior wall. In the third part, alternative wall layers were generated by making a choice in the data obtained from the measurement. Afterwards, CLT model building was constructed applying insulation materials with different types and thickness on these alternatives, and the monthly-annual heating and cooling load of the building were analyzed in specific to the climate of the city Trabzon through DesignBuilder simulation program. In the last part, the energy performance analysis of the CLT wall alternatives were comparatively evaluated. Consequently it is concluded that the CLT model building which was patterned within the context of sustainable building designs has a better energy performance when compared to those which were built with traditional materials for the selected climatic region.