Designs That Work
Mixed-Humid Climate
Introduction - Climate Specific Design
Houses should be designed to suit their environments. In the
home-building industry, we have accepted that design and construction must
be responsive to varying seismic risks, wind loads and snow loads. We also
consider soil conditions, frost depth, orientation and solar radiation.
Yet we typically ignore the variances in temperature, rainfall, exterior
and interior humidity and their interaction.
The Habitat Congress Building America houses are designed for a
specific hygro-thermal region, rain exposure and interior climate. This
means that the building enclosure and mechanical systems that are
recommended in this package are generally suited to the Mixed-Humid
climate region. You can find a description of the North American annual
rainfall and hygro-thermal regions on the climate maps that follow. Notice
that while there are similarities between regions, there are also
differences. It is cold and dry in Wyoming; it is cold and somewhat wet in
Wisconsin. Local climate may also differ significantly from the regional
climate descriptions, and if so, the differences must be addressed when
implementing the house design provided here. |
