Large Building Airtightness and Appropriate Air Barrier Strategies
Tall buildings require a robust air barrier design strategy to withstand higher air pressures from wind, stack effect, and mechanical systems.
Category: R-Value
Seven Ways to Improve Your Net Zero Energy Building Envelope
There are a number of things you can do when designing and constructing a building to improve building envelope energy efficiency. Here are seven of them. 1. Create a tight building envelope. It is important to create a tight building envelope around all six sides of a building (all four walls, the basement, and the […]
Evaluating Thermal Resistance Insulation R-values and Climate Zones
The thermal resistance insulation R-values measure the thermal control of insulation. R-values can be misleading because they do not account for the effect of thermal bridging or how the product works when it is installed in an enclosure. Therefore, the term effective R-value can be used to state the R-value when thermal bridging is included […]
Ashrae 90.1 Standard for Building Envelopes
First appearing in 1975, an updated Ashrae 90.1 energy standard for all but low-rise residential buildings comes out every 3 years. Taking into account current technology and life cycle cost, Ashrae 90.1 establishes minimum energy efficiency requirements for building design and operation including building envelopes (as of 2007). Ashrae 90.1 Currently, the Ashrae 90.1 uses the 8 […]
Creative Building Design Requires High Performance Water-Resistive Barrier Solutions
The Science Pyramid at Denver Botanic Gardens invites visitors to explore the relationship between people and plants, and to examine the role of biomimicry in our lives – the way the features of nature inspire ideas and actions in people. It’s not surprising then that the building has a great relationship with its surroundings. Rising to a comfortable height among the […]
The Importance of Air Sealing: All Insulation Performs the Same with the Correct Air Barrier
New Report Emphasizes the Importance of Air Sealing It’s no surprise that a leaky house causes higher energy bills among other things. A new report released by an insulation trade group highlights the importance of air sealing. It says that one type of wall insulation will perform just as well as another as long as […]
Energy Efficiency in Modern Buildings
As modern building materials advance, energy efficiency is inescapable. Near-zero energy buildings are becoming increasingly popular in Europe. However, this will not have a great effect on energy consumption as a whole until energy efficient building materials and practices are widespread. Iowa State University Professor Yu Wang states that energy efficiency is relatively inexpensive when […]
What Earth Day’s Legacy Means to the Construction Industry
When the United States observed the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, the public was largely unaware of what the human population had begun to do to the planet. The environmental movement was in its infancy, promoted only by a handful of activists, some of whom were even considered radical. Yet, one U.S. senator […]
