TY  - JOUR
U1  - Wissenschaftlicher Artikel
A1  - Rothstein, Benno
A1  - Heiderich, Lena
A1  - Bühler, Michael Max
A1  - Bhati, Lalit Kishor
T1  - Seagrass as Climate-Smart Insulation for the Tropics
BT  - Key Insights from Numerical Simulations and Field Studies
JF  - Sustainability - Special Issue: Green Construction Materials and Sustainability
N2  - Seagrass ecosystems provide essential ecological services and are increasingly recog-nized for their potential as sustainable building insulation. While prior studies have examined seagrass insulation in temperate climates, its suitability for tropical con-struction remains largely unexplored. This study assesses the insulation performance, practical challenges, and adoption barriers of seagrass insulation in tropical climates, using building physics simulations and structured expert interviews, with case studies in Seychelles and Auroville, India. Simulation results indicate that seagrass insulation with its high specific heat capacity effectively reduces overheating risks and demon-strates consistently low mould-growth potential under persistently humid tropical conditions. Despite these technical advantages, expert interviews reveal significant non-technical barriers, including negative public perception, regulatory uncertainties, and logistical complexities. Seychelles faces particular hurdles such as limited coastal storage capacity and stringent environmental regulations. In contrast, Auroville emerges as an ideal demonstration site due to its strong sustainability culture and openness to innovative building materials. The study further identifies that integrating seagrass insulation into a structured, regulated supply chain—from sustainable har-vesting and processing to quality assurance—could simultaneously enhance ecosystem conservation and material availability. Implementing a harvesting framework analo-gous to sustainable forestry could ensure environmental protection alongside supply stability. The findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted awareness initiatives, regulatory alignment, and economic feasibility assessments to overcome barriers and enable wider adoption. Overall, this research highlights seagrass insulation as a prom-ising, climate-positive construction material with strong potential under tropical con-ditions, provided that identified logistical, societal, and regulatory challenges are ad-dressed through dedicated research, stakeholder collaboration, and practical pilot projects.
KW  - Seagrass-based insulation materials
KW  - Hygrothermal building performance
KW  - Tropical climate construction
KW  - Sustainable architectural design
KW  - Thermal envelope optimization
KW  - Building energy simulation
KW  - Bio-based insulation systems
KW  - Low-emission construction materials
KW  - Passive cooling design strategies
KW  - Climate-adaptive architecture
Y1  - 2025
UN  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:kon4-opus4-56434
SN  - 2071-1050
SS  - 2071-1050
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3390/su17094160
DO  - https://doi.org/10.3390/su17094160
VL  - 17
IS  - 9
SP  - 28 Seiten
S1  - 28 Seiten
PB  - MDPI AG
CY  - Basel, CH
ER  -