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Library

This library contains research reports produced by the Building America program and other building science resources used to support this Solution Center. The materials cover both new construction and existing homes. Use the search box and/or the filters to explore hundreds of residential building resources. Access to some references not produced by Building America may require purchase from the publisher. Documents are listed alphabetically. While we continually update our database, links may have changed since posting. Please contact our webmaster if you find broken links.

Showing results 51 - 100 of 153

FEMA P-55, Coastal Construction Manual, Volume I, 4th edition

Author(s)
Coulbourne William,
Jones Christopher P,
Kapur Omar,
Koumoudis Vasso,
Line Philip,
Low David K,
Overcash Glenn,
Passman Samantha,
Reeder Adam,
Seitz Laura,
Smith Thomas,
Tezak Scott
Organization(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency,
FEMA,
Applied Technology Council,
ATC,
URS Group,
DK Low and Associates,
Atkins,
TLSmith Consulting
Publication Date
Volume 1 of a two-volume report providing a comprehensive approach to planning, siting, and risk management for homes constructed in coastal environments.

FEMA Safe Rooms

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
A website explaining the purpose of safe rooms and criteria necessary to meet FEMA P-361 and P-320 criteria.

Field Evaluation of Four Novel Roof Designs for Energy-Efficient Manufactured Homes

Author(s)
Levy E,
Dentz Jordan,
Ansanelli Eric,
Barker G,
Rath P,
Dadia D
Organization(s)
Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions Collaborative,
ARIES
Publication Date
Report of a field evaluation of four novel roof designs to see how each design would reduce space-conditioned energy use so that the knowledge gained could be applied to the design of new manufactured homes.

Fire in California: Preparing Your Home

Author(s)
University of California Cooperative Extension
Organization(s)
University of California Cooperative Extension
Publication Date
Guidelines from the University of California Cooperative Extension on how fires spread, how homes typically burn, and what homeowners can do to prepare their homes for wildfire season.

Fire Protection of Facades

Author(s)
Marija Jelčić Rukavina,
Milan Carević,
Ivana Banjad Pečur
Organization(s)
University of Zagreb
Publication Date
A guide for designers, architects, engineers, and fire experts on how to design rainscreen and ventilated cavities such that they don’t contribute to the spread of a fire.

Firebreak: Wildfire Resilience Strategies for Real Estate

Author(s)
Urban Land Institute
Organization(s)
Urban Land Institute
Publication Date
Updated wildfire risk assessment, community impacts, and building science measures following the disastrous 2020 wildfire season in the western U.S.

Firescaping

Author(s)
FIRESafe Marin
Organization(s)
FIRESafe Marin
Publication Date
Webpage from FireSafe Marin explaining the different landscaping strategies near homes to lower the risk of a home's ignition from wildfire.

Fortified Home Hail Supplement to the High Wind Standard

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Guide describing the requirements by FORTIFIED Home™ for improving the home's resistance to high wind and hail.

Fortified Home High Wind Standard

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Guide describing the requirements by FORTIFIED Home™ for improving the home's resistance in severe thunderstorms, straight-line wind events, and high winds at the outer edges of tornadoes.

Fortified Home High Wind Technical Requirements Summary New Construction

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Report summarizing the requirements to strenghthen new homes against property damage caused by high wind occurrences per the IBHS Fortified Homes High Wind Standard for New Homes.

Fortified Home High Wind Technical Requirements Summary: Existing Homes

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Report summarizing the requirements to strenghthen new homes against property damage caused by high wind occurrences per the IBHS Fortified Homes High Wind Standard for Existing Homes.

Fortified Home Hurricane Standard

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Guide describing the requirements by FORTIFIED Home™ for improving the home's resistance in severe thunderstorms, straight-line wind events, and high winds at the outer edges of tornadoes.

Fortified Home Hurricane Technical Requirements Summary: Existing Homes

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Report summarizing the requirements for strenghtening and protecting the roof, openings in the house, and creating a continuous load path to strengthen walls and foundation per the IBHS Fortified Homes Hurricane Standard for Existing Homes.

Fortified Home Hurricane Technical Summary: New Construction

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Report summarizing the requirements for strenghtening and protecting the roof, openings in the house, and creating a continuous load path to strengthen walls and foundation per the IBHS Fortified Homes Hurricane Standard for New Homes.

Fortified Home Re-Roofing Checklist: High Wind

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Checklist providing information about the specific requirements of FORTIFIED Roof™ design and construction standard for re-roofing specific for high wind resistance.

Fortified Home Re-Roofing Checklist: High Wind & Hail

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Checklist providing information about the specific requirements of FORTIFIED Roof™ design and construction standard for re-roofing specific for high wind and hail resistance.

Fortified Home Re-Roofing Checklist: Hurricane

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Checklist providing information about the specific requirements of FORTIFIED Roof™ design and construction standard for re-roofing specific for hurricane resistance.

Fortified Home: Choosing the Right Tape

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Checklist providing recommendations for the right tape in order to reduce the risk of leaks during storms with wind-driven rain.

Fortified Roof: Standard Detail Set for Fortified Roof

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Webpage providing video links and Spanish/English handouts for installing roofs to meet the hurricane and high wind resistant guidance in the IBHS Fortified Home criteria.

Foundation and Anchoring Criteria for Safe Rooms

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Fact sheet discussing designs for prefabricated safe rooms built to ICC 500 standards mentioned in FEMA P-361.

Fundamentals of Resilient Design: Wet Floodproofing

Author(s)
Resilient Design Institute
Organization(s)
Resilient Design Institute
Publication Date
Website describing wet floodproofing measures to prevent against structural damage, internal damage and damage to electrical components.

Guide to Determining Climate Zone by County: Building America and IECC 2021 Updates

Author(s)
Gilbride Theresa L,
Antonopoulos Chrissi A,
Margiotta Evan R,
Kaltreider Christian E
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
EERE
Publication Date
Report identifying Building America and 2021 International Energy Conservation Code climate zone designations for every county in the United States; where a county's climate zone designation has changed since the 2018 IECC, that change is indicated as well.

High-R Roofs Case Study Analysis, BA-1006

Author(s)
Straube,
Grin
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report that considers a number of promising wall systems that can meet the requirement for better thermal control.

Home Survival in Wildfire-Prone Areas: Building Materials and Design Considerations

Author(s)
Quarles,
Valachovic,
Nakamura,
Nader,
De Lasaux
Organization(s)
University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Publication Date
A guide that summarizes building materials and design considerations for increasing wildfire-resistivity of homes in areas that are prone to wildfires.

How to Build an Insulated Cathedral Ceiling

Author(s)
Holladay
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor
Publication Date
Information sheet presenting the correct methods for building an insulated cathedral ceiling.

Hurricane Retrofit Guide: Gable End Overhangs

Author(s)
Florida Division of Emergency Management
Organization(s)
Florida Division of Emergency Management
Publication Date
A document aimed at reducing the vulnerability of a gable end roof to wind damage in a hurricane.

IBHS Fortified Home – Roofers

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS Fortified Home
Publication Date
Website providing resources for roofers to construct high-wind, hurricane, and hail-resistant roofs from IBHS Fortified program.

Ice Dams, BSD-135

Author(s)
Straube
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Article outlining the casuses and solutions for ice dam problems.

Integrated Design Process: A Guideline for Sustainable and Solar-Optimized Building Design

Author(s)
Sol*id*ar Planungswerkstatt Architects and Engineers,
Architeckten B+S
Organization(s)
International Energy Agency,
IEA
Publication Date
Guide describing the use of a collaborative, multidisciplinary process that considers and optimizes the building as an entire system including its technical equipment and surroundings for efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective construction and operation over the building’s entire lifespan.

Investigation of Potential Benefits of Revising Exception 1 under “FLORIDA BUILDING CODE, ENERGY CONSERVATION, Section 101.4.7.1.1 Duct Sealing upon Equipment Replacement.”

Author(s)
McIlvaine Janet E R,
Beal David
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report describing as-found interior platform return plenums, the magnitude of their contribution to the total amount of duct leakage, and techniques and results of retrofits executed by the HVAC trade during equipment replacement.

LEED v4.1 Certification Program

Author(s)
U.S Green Building Council
Organization(s)
USGBC
Publication Date
Website explaining the LEED v4.1 program and providing a portal for those who want to investigate or start a LEED project.

Minimizing Flood Damage to Electrical Service Components

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Factsheet describing smart practices for minimizing damage to residential electrical service components during coastal and riverine flood events.

Moving Ducts Inside: Big Builders, Scientists Find Common Ground

Author(s)
Lubliner,
Kerr,
Gordon,
Murray
Organization(s)
WSU Extension Energy Program
Publication Date
Conference paper making the case that moving ducts to conditioned space saves energy, is practical for production builders (when accompanied by careful pre-planning), and creates significant andmarketable energy savings for homebuyers.