ᐅ Sealing the open side of a "single" semi-detached house?

Hello,

I am building a semi-detached house (the shell and roof are completed). Unfortunately, I do not know when the neighbors will start their construction – the building deadline / planning permission expires by mid-2021. This also means that, in the worst case, my side will remain open through the winter.

I plan to move in around January/February 2021.

I am wondering what would be the most sensible way to deal with the open side? I have heard that people often put Styrofoam panels on it. What is the purpose of that exactly? Is it to prevent the walls (36.5cm (14.4 inches) perforated bricks, otherwise uninsulated) from absorbing moisture? Or is it for thermal insulation?

At the moment, I still don’t know when I will have the external plaster applied.

Regards!

Is it the weather side?

This is the east side.

If you keep in mind that "The weather side is the bad side and is always NORTHWEST," then I would say: no.

I would at least protect it against weather and moisture. Insulation probably wouldn’t be worthwhile for just one winter. I used to live next to a similar detached semi-detached house that practically stayed bare for a full ten years (although it was made of calcium silicate brick). At some point, the owners decided to insulate and seal everything, and the very next summer, construction on the second half began.

I thought the weather side is the side from which the wind mostly comes, isn’t it? For us, the wind almost always comes from the southwest.

Best regards
Sabine