Glossary

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G	Absorption
Process whereby a porous material extracts one or more substances from an atmosphere, a mixture of gases, or a mixture of liquids. (from ...

G	ACCA
abbr. Air Conditioning Contractors of America. ACCA is a group of over 4,000 air conditioning contractors who work together to improve ...

G	ACH
abbr. Air changes per hour. A common unit of measure of ventilation rate for a space, or air leakage rate for a building, defined as ...

G	ACT2
abbr. Advanced Customer Technology Test for Maximum Energy Efficiency. The ACT2 project marks the first time that energy efficiency ...

G	Adhesion
Property that describes a material's ability to bond to a surface physio-chemically or chemically.

G	Adhesive
A substance or compound used for bonding surfaces together, usually applied in the form of a liquid or paste. An adhesive and sealant or ...

G	Adhesive Failure
Loss of adhesion of a material to the surface to which it is applied. Usually applied to a sealant line, floor finish, or coating. See ...

G	Adsorption
(1) Process in which fluid molecules are concentrated on a surface by chemical or physical forces or both; (2) surface adherence of a ...

G	Aesthetic Joint
A groove cut into cladding system, often EIFS, precast, or stucco, that serves the function of decoration and/or to provide a starting or ...

G	AFUE
abbr. Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. A measure of annual efficiency of conversion of primary gas or oil consumption to the ...

G	AHU
abbr. Air handling unit. A mechanical space conditioning device comprising an enclosure, and a fan to move air. In many cases, an AHU ...

G	Air Control Layer (formerly Air Barrier)
The complete air control layer system is comprised of materials and assemblies, each with their own performance requirements. See also ...

G	Air Control Layer Material (formerly Air Barrier Material)
A material that has sufficiently low air permeance and adequate strength that it can be part of an air control layer system. Recommended ...

G	Air Control Layer System (formerly Air Barrier System)
Air control layers are three-dimensional systems of materials designed, constructed, and/or acting to control air flow across a building ...

G	Air Infiltration
Uncontrolled inward leakage of air (that may contain entrained water vapor) through cracks and insterstices in any building element and ...

G	Air Leakage
Uncontrolled and/or unintended airflow through a building enclosure or between units of occupancy. Leakage from indoors to outdoors is ...

G	Air Pressure Boundary
The air pressure boundary is the boundary (comprised of a series of planes to form a three dimensional boundary) that generates the largest ...

G	Air Retarder
Materials and assemblies that do not meet the performance requirements of air barrier materials, air barrier assemblies and air barrier ...

G	Air-Impermeable Material
An air impermeable material is an air control layer. An air-impermeable material has an air permeance equal to of less than 0.02 l/s-m2 at ...

G	Air-Permeable Material
An air-permeable material has an air permeance greater than 0.02 l/s-m2 at 75 Pa pressure differential when tested according to ASTM E 2178 ...

G	ALA
abbr. American Lung Association. The mission of the American Lung Association is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing ...

G	ASHRAE
abbr. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and ...

G	Back Wrapping
The carrying of EIFS mesh reinforcement and base coat around the ends of the insulation boards and terminating between the insulation and ...

G	Backer Rod
A resilient foam material (typically closed cell polyethylene) of circular cross-section installed under compression in a joint to provide ...

G	Barrier System
Another term for a face sealed rain control approach to enclosure design. See Face-seal.

G	Base Coat
A compound used to embed and to cover the reinforcing fabric of an EIFS, depending on the system type. The base coat acts as the primary ...

G	Bead
A line of sealant or adhesive. In glazing, an applied sealant in a joint such as caulking bead, heel bead, glazing bead, etc. Also a ...

G	Beam
A structural supporting member that resists loads primarily in bending. May be vertical or horizontal and made of any material or composite.

G	BECT
abbr. Building Energy Code Training. Since 1995 this dynamic program has helped the building industry and code officials keep up with ...

G	Below Grade
The portion of a building that is below the line of the surrounding ground level.