The
thatch is 30cm thick and has a 10cm air gap underneath.
The overall coefficient of heat transfer of the roof is estimated at
0.17 when the thermal conductivity of bulrushes is 0.17. It will be
measured at a later stage on the roof. Because of the bulrush shortage,
the other side and the top of the roof were covered temporarily by a
sheet of tin with an air gap of 30cm. The overall coefficient will be
measured later on and will give us a good comparison with the thatched
part. Bulrushes are thin and the finished roof look was very beautiful.
However, the higher slope has been damaged by worms and birds. If you
have a good idea to solve this problem, please let us know!
Hiwadabuki, a type of thatched roof with Japanese cypress bark from
Japan, is also an interesting material. But because this is not
available in NZ, we were unable to take this option. These methods of
thatching are very precious ways which blend in nicely with nature.