Breathable buildings in wet climates

I have read through this thread https://permies.com/t/44483/Breathing-Walls-George-Swanson-Oram regarding keeping buildings breathable.

We live in a temperate rain forest more or less, with a long winter. "From December 1925 to April 2023, the average 12-month total precipitation was 61.7 inches" "From December 1925 to April 2023, the 12-month average temperature was 32.7°F" (National Centers of Environmental Information).

Many of the natural building methods I have read about on permies seem (at least on the surface) to be most suited to more arid environments (like Montana). In those environments, keeping things dry, and drying out a wet building is relatively simple. But when everything in the environment is damp most all of the time... then what?

The only info I have found on historical building methods for my particular area is the Barabara, which is basically a variation of a pit house (this takes great advantage of thermal mass, but I have a hard time imagining the building to be very dry), and later the log buildings. From what I have gathered, the Barabaras did not often last very long, and didn't need to since the people living in them were relatively nomadic and they were simple to construct. The log buildings have a longer life span, but rot can still be a hazard.


So. How do we construct healthy buildings that breathe in very wet environments?

Any permies out there with ideas, experience, research on this topic?

Hi Eloise, You could look at techniques from the UK (my rainfall is fairly similar to yours). Indigenous techniques here vary from cob, to drystone walls.
I gather the use of lime mortar rather than cement is one way of increasing the breathability of walls, whilst still maintaining a waterproofness. Your climate is quite a bit colder and I don't know whether that would be a problem for lime mortar.

This is the thread that discusses that book you link to:

https://permies.com/t/43637/Breathable-Walls

Terry said, "This area of a building from what I have gathered is highly controversial and misunderstood even by the “Pro Building Scientist” many of the more popular ones have contributed to this book and are noted throughout.

https://permies.com/t/43637/Breathable-Walls

I thought other folks might find that thread interesting.

Good idea, Nancy. I will do a little research on building methods in the UK.

And thanks for posting those links, Anne!

If I was going to build a house with minimal amount of plastic. If possible I would do Rock Gabion Walls, with a layer of cob to give it a "finish" Then I would add a roof with nice overhangs. And earthbag house also works but it has plastic bags.

Uhmm, let me know what you think of this pit house?

https://www.earthbagbuilding.com/plans/solarpithouse.htm
https://naturalbuildingblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Solar-Pit-House-PDF.pdf

UK is zone 10 to zone 8, aka warmer than Seattle, WA. But it is still a god reference source.

These guys in Alaska have some cool info
Walls: http://cchrc.org/vapor-diffusion-open-walls-study/
Solar Thermal Storage: http://cchrc.org/thermal-storage-technology/
Water-Sanitation: http://cchrc.org/pass-system/

I like S Bengi's suggestion.

If I were building something where I was worried about mold, I would want to use mycelium insulation panels for the insulation for the walls, floors, and roof:

Advantages of mycelium over typical, conventional insulation (fiberglass/mineral wool or similar)
1) Carbon negative.
2) Far superior in creating a healthy living environment.  Mold-resistant, no toxic components/ingredients, no off-gassing.
3) Can be produced from readily available materials and agricultural byproducts at a homestead scale.
4) Biodegradable at end-of-life.
5) Stacking functions when panels are dried and put into use after one ore multiple harvests of fruiting bodies.

https://permies.com/t/mycelium-insulation