it seems these 'perfect' walls are really double walls, with an exterior wall and interior wall separated by a "control layer" that blocks air and moisture/vapor penetration, and reduces heat transfer.
the exterior wall features brick/stone cladding as a primary rain/UV barrier and thermal buffer, and a channel to wick away air, heat, and moisture on its interior, before hitting the "control layer".
the interior wall can be concrete block, steel frame, or wood frame, with only the latter insulated, and with a semi-permeable interior skin (gypsum board + latex paint).
both walls are designed to wick moisture away from the control layer to reduce mold and other problems.
the big downside to these perfect walls are that they're actually two walls, and as such, (roughly) twice the cost of regular stick-built walls, and they're twice as thick, which, given a fixed lot size, reduces interior square footage.
Comments
it seems these 'perfect' walls are really double walls, with an exterior wall and interior wall separated by a "control layer" that blocks air and moisture/vapor penetration, and reduces heat transfer.
the exterior wall features brick/stone cladding as a primary rain/UV barrier and thermal buffer, and a channel to wick away air, heat, and moisture on its interior, before hitting the "control layer".
the interior wall can be concrete block, steel frame, or wood frame, with only the latter insulated, and with a semi-permeable interior skin (gypsum board + latex paint).
both walls are designed to wick moisture away from the control layer to reduce mold and other problems.
the big downside to these perfect walls are that they're actually two walls, and as such, (roughly) twice the cost of regular stick-built walls, and they're twice as thick, which, given a fixed lot size, reduces interior square footage.