We are delighted to announce the launch of O Llaith i Gynnes (From Damp to Warm), a new collaborative project exploring how traditional rural homes in West Wales can become more comfortable, resilient, and lower carbon, without losing what makes them special.
The project is centred on Bremenda Isaf farmhouse, a traditional, solid-walled, masonry building owned by Carmarthenshire County Council. Over the next 12 months, the building will become a real-world learning and research site, helping us gather robust evidence about what works, what does not, and what “good” looks like for older buildings in a wet, wind-driven climate.
This is not about quick fixes ora one-size-fits-all retrofit. It is about understanding how these buildings actually behave, then using that knowledge to support better decisions for homeowners, tradespeople, and the professionals specifying work across our region.
A partnership rooted in place, skills, and evidence
O Llaith i Gynnes is led by Cardiff University’s Welsh School of Architecture, working in partnership with Carmarthenshire County Council, the South-west Wales Regional Energy Team, and Canolfan Tywi Centre.
This partnership brings together expertise in building performance, materials science, local authority delivery, and heritage construction skills. It also reflects something we care deeply about at the Tywi Centre: combining research with hands-on, practical learning so that evidence quickly becomes real-world improvement.
Why this matters for West Wales
Across rural Wales, many homes are traditionally constructed with solid masonry walls and have been altered over time using modern, impermeable materials such as cement renders and gypsum plasters. In areas exposed to wind-driven rain, cracks and defects can allow moisture into walls which then struggle to dry. The result is often damp fabric, increased heat loss, and uncomfortable internal conditions.
A key idea behind this project is both simple and powerful:
if we can help a traditional building dry out and function as intended, we may improve comfort and energy performance even before we reach for expensive, high-risk retrofit measures.
This matters not just for heritage, but for Net Zero. We cannot meet decarbonisation targets if traditional buildings are treated as “too hard” or “not worth it”. In many communities, they are the housing stock.
What the project will do over the next 12 months
The team will create a full year of baseline performance data, which means understanding how the building behaves through winter heating and summer “free-running” conditions.
Work will include:
1) Monitoring comfort and energy use
Temperature and relative humidity will be monitored throughout the building. The project will also track energy input, helping to build a clear picture of what it takes to achieve comfortable conditions in the farmhouse as it currently stands.
2) Monitoring the building fabric itself
The walls will be monitored for moisture and heat loss, including U-value measurements and moisture content readings over time. Importantly, the team intends to monitor these relationships continuously, so we can see how performance changes as moisture levels change through the seasons.
3) Understanding the materials
Samples of existing renders, plasters, mortars, and stone will be analysed to understand key characteristics such as porosity, density, thermal conductivity, and moisture behaviour. This material's evidence will then feed into the modelling and feasibility work.
4) Developing a research-informed feasibility study
Using the monitoring data and materials testing, the team will model and test potential solutions through an iterative design and simulation process. The focus is on identifying routes to low-carbon performance with minimum intervention and maximum comfort, while also considering whole-life carbon impacts.
From research to real-world impact
One of the most exciting aspects of O Llaith i Gynnes is that it is designed from the start to create practical outcomes, not reports that sit on a shelf.
The project includes a strong programme of training and dissemination, including:
- a virtual case study and 3D model to support learning and professional development
- integration into Tywi Centre accredited training, including the Level 3 Award in Energy Efficiency Measures for Older and Traditional Buildings
- a professional seminar with regional partners exploring implementation barriers and training priorities
- a community open day at Bremenda Isaf, inviting local people, trades, and stakeholders to engage with the learning
- sharing findings with local authority teams, policy makers, and industry networks
At the Tywi Centre, we are particularly excited about the opportunity to use the site as a learning environment, linking evidence on building performance to practical decision-making about materials, repair, maintenance, and retrofit pathways that are appropriate for traditional buildings in our climate.
Looking ahead
This 12-month phase is the start of a longer journey. The project is intended to support follow-on funding applications that will enable the implementation of recommendations and continued monitoring as changes are made. In other words, the farmhouse has the potential to become a live, evolving case study, showing how a building’s performance changes as interventions are introduced over time.
Stay involved
We will be sharing updates as the monitoring progresses and as early findings begin to emerge. If you are a building professional, contractor, local authority officer, educator, student, or homeowner with an interest in traditional buildings and low-carbon solutions, we would love you to follow along and join future events.
This project is about building confidence through evidence and building capacity through skills.
More news soon.