There is a lot of available research on the effect of mass in building
design - especially passive solar and energy conservation applications.
See http://www.ced.berkeley.edu/cedr/vs/inf/rps.html
for a good basic study available in pdf by Bruce Haglund. Since the
mass is being used to store and release heat in a managed cycle that
corresponds to the materials exposure to a radiant source, the use of an
insulating material (foam formwork) in the interior would affect that
cycle.
I've used concrete a lot as an interior building finish as an
alternative to gypsum not just for its mass value but as a surface that
would be less likely to promote fungal or bacterial growth. I had always
thought of it as a relatively clean material the benefits of which could
offsett its high embodied energy, however I recently discovered that
cement can contain up to 5% inert or unclassified material which is
generally ash from fuel used in its manufacture. Depending on the plant
the ash could be a byproduct of garbage incineration and could be high
in toxic contaminants. A nice thought which makes me wonder about what
other 'inert' product components consist of.
John
TERRAIN E.D.S.
terrain@seaside.net
__________________________________________________________________
This greenbuilding dialogue is sponsored by Oikos (www.oikos.com)
and Environmental Building News (www.ebuild.com). For instructions
send e-mail to greenbuilding-request@crest.org.
__________________________________________________________________