Technical Resoures

BSD-105: Understanding Drainage Planes by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2008/10/14

Controlling rain is the single most important factor in the design and construction of durable buildings and in the control of mold. Drainage planes are used in the design and construction of building enclosures to control rain. All exterior claddings pass some rainwater. Siding leaks, brick leaks, stucco leaks, stone leaks, etc. As such, some control of this penetrating rainwater is required. In most walls, this penetrating rainwater is controlled by the drainage plane that directs the penetrating water downwards and outwards.

BSD-108: Investigating and Diagnosing Moisture Problems by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2008/08/20

Water comes in four forms: solid, liquid, vapor and adsorbed. All four forms can cause grief to building owners, designers and contractors. When water causes building problems investigating and diagnosing the problem can be challenging because water constantly changes its form inside a building and within its materials. The investigator must hunt down the water thinking like water.

RR-0006: Discussion of the Use of Transfer Grilles to Facilitate Return Air Flow in Central Return Systems by Armin Rudd — last modified 2008/11/25

Transfer grilles represent a cost-effective alternative to individual return ducts if they are properly configured for air flow, privacy, and aesthetics.

RR-0406: Face Sealed vs. Drainable EIFS by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2008/10/20

Exterior insulation and finishing systems (EIFS) are inherently defective and unfit of use as an exterior cladding system where moisture sensitive components are used without a provision for drainage or in locations and assemblies without adequate drying.

RR-9909: Drainage Planes and Air Spaces by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2008/10/21

Every exterior cladding system needs an air space and drainage plane for performance and durability. This article presents the right materials and spaces for most exterior claddings—brick, stucco, and wood, metal and vinyl lap siding.

BSP-050: Sizing heating, cooling and ventilation ducts, trunks, and runouts for energy efficient housing by Building Science Corporation — last modified 2008/10/06

A design process is laid out for sizing cooling and heating system capacity; for specifying the airflow and duct sizes to each conditioned space; and for specifying the free area needed to transfer air supplied to closed rooms back to the central return.

BSP-063: Water-Managed Wall Systems by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2008/09/09

Show water to the exit with a well-detailed drainage plane and flashings.

RR-0008: Time-Based Scheduling of Residential Ventilation by Armin Rudd — last modified 2008/10/15

Discussion of the purposes and practices of residential ventilation.

RR-0108: Unvented Roof Systems by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2008/10/16

Unvented roof systems can be safely used in many different climates. In cold climates, insulating sheathing must be added exterior to the roof sheathing to prevent condensation on the underside of the roof sheathing.

RR-0109: Sizing and Startup Procedures for Cooling Systems by Armin Rudd — last modified 2008/10/16

High performance building envelopes deserve high performance comfort conditioning systems. Especially for refrigerant based cooling systems, proper sizing and startup procedures are critical.

RR-0110: HVAC Equipment Sizing Strategies: Taking Advantage of High-Performance Buildings by Kohta Ueno — last modified 2008/10/16

If you are going to fine-tune your building enclosure, fine-tuning your HVAC system becomes even more important. This presentation covers everything you need to know to right-size your HVAC for better performance, fewer callbacks, and happier customers.

RR-0111: Placement of Ducts and HVAC Systems in Conditioned Space: An Overview by Kohta Ueno — last modified 2008/10/16

A discussion of the placement of ducts and HVAC equipment inside the conditioned space.

RR-0215: Dehumidification Systems Research Results by Armin Rudd — last modified 2008/10/16

Moisture is the number one enemy of the durability of a house. Installing controlled mechanical supply ventilation systems, and dehumidification separate from cooling for humid climates is one of the ways to insure durability with respect to moisture.

BSI-009: New Light In Crawlspaces by Joseph Lstiburek — last modified 2008/10/16

An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal. Think of the good old days—the Civil War, WWI, the Great Depression, WWII—crawlspaces were uninsulated. They were ventilated and they didn’t have ground covers—and they didn’t have problems. Why?

RR-0502: Review of Residential Ventilation Technologies by Building Science Corporation — last modified 2008/10/20

This paper reviews current and potential ventilation technologies for residential buildings with particular emphasis on North American climates and construction.

RR-0214: Conditioning Air in the Humid South—Creating Comfort and Controlling Cost by Building Science Corporation — last modified 2008/10/16

An examination of five different systems that show how to cool and dehumidify inside air while maintaining sufficient introduction of outside air for ventilation efficiently and cost-effectively.

RR-0410: Vapor Barriers and Wall Design by Building Science Corporation — last modified 2008/10/20

Good design and practice involve controlling the wetting of building assemblies from both the exterior and interior and different climates require different approaches.

RR-0411: Vent on Venting by Building Science Corporation — last modified 2008/10/20

Just about everyone in the building industry can be guilty of using building terms loosely, and a prime example is with attics, roof assemblies. Just so that we are all on the same page.

RR-0413a: The Snapshot—A Quick Description by Building Science Corporation — last modified 2008/10/30

SNAPSHOT stands for Short, Non-destructive Approach to Provide Significant House Operation Thresholds.

RR-0507: Affordable Housing—Toward Zero Energy by Betsy Pettit — last modified 2008/10/20

A presentation discussing zero energy homes, affordable housing and the available technologies to reach zero energy.