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.
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.
When constructing unvented roofs with asphalt shingles in hot-humid climates, a vapor barrier must be installed between the asphalt shingles and the roof deck.
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.”
Most of us are not aware of just how differently these two barriers work in building assemblies. This article makes the differences as clear as the polyethylene film that should (or more likely should NOT) be in your walls.
Using four Building Science Consortium Building America community-scale projects, this paper investigates the nature, strength, and durability of connections between high performance dwellings and developments.
Roofs can be designed and constructed to be either vented or unvented in any hygrothermal zone. Air barrier systems are typically the most common approach, however, air pressure control approaches are becoming more common especially in cases involving remedial work on existing structures.
Air barriers are systems of materials used to control airflow in building enclosures. They typically completely enclose the air within a building.
A single-story, single-family, 1350 sq. ft. house located in Las Vegas, NV was outfitted with two separate ventilation systems. The systems were independent of each other, and were operated at different times to evaluate the relative difference in air change rate and distribution of ventilation air induced by their operation.
Twenty homes were tested and monitored in the hot-humid climate of Houston, Texas, to evaluate the humidity control performance and operating cost of six different integrated dehumidification and ventilation systems that could be applied by production homebuilders.
High performance compact fluorescent lighting (CFLs) is not just about energy savings; it’s also about the other aspects of performance such as color rendering.
When designing a building’s envelope and its interaction with the mechanical system, temperature, humidity, rain and the interior climate often are ignored.
Indoor moisture and temperature conditions and equipment operation were measured and analyzed for 43 homes in warm-humid and mixed-humid climate regions of the United States.
Buildings leak water and air, which is normal and unavoidable. Therefore, designers should not fixate on preventing leakage, i.e. making buildings “airtight.” Because even if all cracks were sealed, buildings have doors and windows.
