Research Reports are technical reports written for researchers but accessible to design professionals and builders. These reports typically provide an in-depth study of a particular topic or describe the results of a research project. They are often peer reviewed and also provide support for advice given in our Building Science Digests. The most recent documents posted are at the top of the list below.
Two seemingly innocuous requirements for building enclosure assemblies bedevil builders and designers almost endlessly: keep water vapor out, let the water vapor out if it gets in.
Just about everyone in the building industry can be guilty of using building terms loosely, and a prime example is with attics, roof assemblies.
Heat loss through uninsulated basement walls can account for up to one-third of the heat loss from an average home. Installing insulation on basement walls is often inexpensive, easy to accomplish and frequently combined with “finishing the basement.”
A concise explanation of how a high performance HVAC system works in a high performance home.
PV systems have come a long way in the last two decades. While they may not work for all homes, residential installations are becoming a practical reality under more and more conditions
This article briefly repeats some of the information in the other mold articles but also includes information on how to prevent mold in residential structures.
This article provides both general guidelines for mold remediation as well as specific guidelines for the typical locations where mold is most often found in houses.
Although this article is titled "Mold Testing" it actually tells you why testing for mold is usually not needed.
Everything you ever wanted to know about HVAC for homes-thermal comfort, air distribution, nature of and dealing with contaminants, HVAC strategies, and climate-appropriate graphics to boot.
This article answers your questions about mold, what it is, where it grows, how it spreads, how can I prevent it.
Wood moves. Drywall does not move. Interesting problem. The more you attach drywall to wood, the more cracks you have. Easy, attach the drywall to less wood, and, in a way, that allows the wood to move.
The primary function of a housewrap or building paper is rain penetration control. It is not air infiltration despite what the manufacturers say.
The manufacturers of housewraps have for years promoted the fantasy that water vapor in wall assemblies only moves one way – from the inside out.
Perhaps the single most challenging BSC performance for Building America production homebuilders is that all ducts and HVAC equipment must be within the conditioned space (this means no ducts in outside walls and no ducts or air handlers in garages, vented attics or vented crawlspaces).
The simplest, most effective, and most economical way to introduce fresh air in homes with central forced air systems is to use the central fan to pull in and distribute a controlled amount of outside air.
Details on how to install a window using building paper as the drainage plane.
Builders for many years have put mechanical equipment and ducts in non-living spaces such as crawlspaces and attics primarily to save valuable floor space.
This is a concise overview of the principles and steps to follow when dealing with water from the foundation to the roof.
Transfer grilles represent a cost-effective alternative to individual return ducts if they are properly configured for air flow, privacy, and aesthetics.
Sizing information excerpted from “RR-0006: Discussion of the Use of Transfer Grilles to Facilitate Air Flow in Central Return Systems.”
