Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report covering insulating crawlspaces.
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 221
Organization(s)
The Constructor
Publication Date
Description
Article describing the process of constructing concrete walls
Organization(s)
Metropolitan Engineering Consulting & Forensics,
MECF
Publication Date
Description
Article about how mortar droppings during the installation of a brick veneer can clog the weep holes in the wall assembly causing moisture damage. The article also illustrates products that can be installed in the ventilated cavity to mitigate this problem.
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE,
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL
Publication Date
Description
Part I of the Guide addresses walls constructed with 2x6 wood frame studs, wood structural panel (WSP) sheathing as exterior sheathing, gypsum board as interior sheathing, and a cladding system installed over WSP sheathing in low-rise residential buildings up to three stories in height.
Organization(s)
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL
Publication Date
Description
The Guide addresses walls constructed with 2x4 wood frame studs, wood structural panel (WSP) sheathing as wall bracing and added backing for foam sheathing, a layer of rigid foam sheathing insulation up to 1.5 in. thick over the WSP, and a cladding system installed over the foam sheathing in low...
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Short article from FEMA explaining what a continuous load path is and the key connection points that make it up.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report covering exterior energy retrofits of masonry buildings.
Organization(s)
Building Enclosure Moisture Management Institute
Publication Date
Description
Conference paper describing the use of engineered rainscreen products to provide air flow and water drainage space in wall assemblies in residential and commercial buildings.
Organization(s)
EXtension Home Energy - Cooperative Extension
Publication Date
Description
Article from The Home Energy Community of Practice on designing energy efficient homes in hot climate zones, including home orientation, window location, and roof design considerations.
Organization(s)
CARB,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet providing information about investigating the thermal effect of staggering the inner and outer wall studs on double walls in new construction.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report covering the rainwater performance of building assemblies.
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
LBNL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report on how airtighness changes as houses age.
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Guide provides homeowners ways to prepare for an earthquake and protect a home against earthquake damage.
Organization(s)
National Association of Home Builders,
NAHB,
U.S. Department of Agriculture,
USDA
Publication Date
Description
The objective of this research was to quantify the field performance of wood-frame walls clad with a variety of common claddings in a mixed-humid climate.
Organization(s)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
Technical University of Lodz,
TUL
Publication Date
Description
Presentation about results from an insulating concrete form energy efficiency study in Knoxville, TN.
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet with details on a building enclosure designed for Albuquerque, NM, as an example for building enclosures built for hot-dry and mixed-dry climates.
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet briefly summarizing double stud wall construction including the advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet briefly summarizing double stud with spray foam wall construction including the advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet that summarizes Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) construction including advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet briefly summarizing truss wall construction including the advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report exploring feasibility of designing prescriptive retrofit measure packages for typical Chicago region multifamily buildings in order to achieve 25% source energy savings.
Organization(s)
Advanced Residential Integrated Energy Solutions,
ARIES,
Levy Partnership,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report about the Advanced Envelope Research effort will provide factory homebuilders with urgently-needed, cost effective methods for meeting emerging energy code requirements.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report about an expert meeting focused on issues surrounding cladding attachment and performance of walls with exterior insulating sheathing.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Expert Meeting about interior insulation retrofit of mass masonry wall assemblies held on July 30, 2011.
Organization(s)
HIRL,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report that demonstrates the durability, constructability, and cost-effectiveness of the extended plate and beam (EP&B) wall system for new construction housing projects in compliance with the International Energy Conservation Code, addressing moisture risk management and high-performance envelope...
Organization(s)
Partnership for Home Innovation,
PHI,
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL
Publication Date
Description
Report on high-R wall design called extended plate and beam that uses foam sheathing insulation with wall framing.
Organization(s)
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet describing the Extended Plate Wall (EPW) a system that incorporates a 2-inch layer of foam plastic insulative sheathing within the framing for top and bottom plates, streamlining air sealing, window and door installation, weather resistive barrier application, and cladding attachment for...
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS
Publication Date
Description
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is interested in finding cost-effective solutions for deep energy retrofits (DERs) related to exterior wall insulation in a cold climate, with targets of 50% peak load reduction and 50% space conditioning energy savings.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Research study developing baseline engineering analysis to support the installation of thick layers of exterior insulation (2 in. to 8 in.) on existing masonry walls and wood framed walls.
Organization(s)
LSU AgCenter
Publication Date
Description
Webpage from LSU AgCenter answering frequently asked questions after gutting a flooded home, including mitigation strategies for future floods.
Organization(s)
Green Building Advisor,
GBA
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet about what length screws should be used, and how closely to space the screws when fastening furring strips to a foam-sheathed wall.
Organization(s)
Odice
Publication Date
Description
An example of a commercially available thermally expansive fire stopping product for controlling the spread of fires in a rainscreen cavity.
Organization(s)
National Research Council Canada,
NRC,
ResearchGate
Publication Date
Description
Research study evaluating the dynamic heat transmission characteristics through two identical Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) wall assemblies in Ottawa, Canada.
Organization(s)
University of Zagreb
Publication Date
Description
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.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Article discussing flow-through assemblies of walls.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Journal article describing lessons learned from updating a 16-year-old deep-energy retrofit.
Organization(s)
Owens Corning Insulation
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet with manufacturer specifications about insulated concrete forms.
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report about development of effective strategies to reduce the overall building energy use in line with Building America goals in this modestly priced market rate project.
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet describing the use of foundation walls in coastal buildings, including footing embedment, wall height, materials and workmanship, lateral support, flood openings and ventilation requirements, and interior grade elevations for crawlspaces; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide...
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Guide providing information on using exterior foam insulating sheathing in building wall assemblies to enhance thermal performance.
Organization(s)
Home Construction and Improvement
Publication Date
Description
A article about the best practice method of installing fiber cement siding, to install flashing at the butt joints of the siding boards, rather than face caulking the butt joints afterwards.
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Document providing supplemental information for code enforcement professionals about header hangers in bearing walls.
Organization(s)
LBNL
Publication Date
Description
LBNL webpage introducing heat island effect and cool materials concepts, and providing links to LBNL pages explaining cool pavements, cool roofs, and cool walls.
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Case study of new home construction in the hot-dry and mixed-dry climate zones.
Organization(s)
CARB,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Brochure with details on advanced framing techniques.
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Article from NREL on wall construction guidelines for homes in hot climate zones.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report that considers a number of promising wall systems that can meet the requirement for better thermal control.
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report providing testing methodology to evaluate structural rim header designs over openings up to 6 ft. wide and applicable to one- and two-story homes.
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report with test results that serve as a baseline of data for further material tests of other high-R wall systems and for comparison to whole-house wind pressure testing.
Organization(s)
NAHB Research Center,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Research study presenting results of an existing home monitoring project designed to measure wall cavity moisture characteristics.