Skip to main content

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 1 - 50 of 111

2015 IBC - International Building Code

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2015 edition of code for commercial buildings that brings together all structural, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, energy and electrical provisions for all buildings except detached one- and two-family residences and townhouses up to three stories.

2018 IBC - International Building Code

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2018 edition of code for commercial buildings that brings together all structural, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, energy and electrical provisions for all buildings except detached one- and two-family residences and townhouses up to three stories.

2018 IEBC - International Existing Building Code

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2018 edition of code establishing a baseline for existing building retrofits to reach appropriate safety levels under new construction requirements covered in other ICC codes.

2018 IFC - International Fire Code

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2018 edition of code establishing regulations involving life and property safety from fires and explosion hazards, including emergency planning, fire department access and water supply, automatic sprinkler systems, fire alarms, and hazardous materials planning and storage.

2021 IWUIC - International Wildland Urban Interface Code

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2021 edition of the code establishing regulations to safeguard life and property from the intrusion of wildland fire and to prevent structure fires from spreading to wildland fuels; regulates defensible space and provides ignition-resistant construction requirements to protect against fire exposure...

A Practical Guide to Climate-resilient Buildings & Communities

Author(s)
United Nations Environment Programme
Organization(s)
UNEP
Publication Date
Guidance document from the UN environment programme on climate-resilient buildings and communities practices, including guidance on heat waves, drought, hurricanes, and flooding.

Anchor it and Protect a Child

Author(s)
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Organization(s)
USCPSC
Publication Date
Safety brochure from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) describing the dangers to children of furniture tipping over if it is not securely anchored.

Battery Storage for Resilience

Author(s)
Elgqvist Emma
Organization(s)
NREL
Publication Date
Fact sheet providing information on building-scale and utility-scale battery storage for disaster resistance.

Building Code Requirements That Exceed or Are More Specific Than the National Flood Insurance Program

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Factsheet describing the flood-resistant provisions of the 2021 International Codes and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 24-14, Flood Resistant Design and Construction, that are “higher standards” and that are more specific than the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements.

Building Materials Listing

Author(s)
Cal Fire Office of the State Fire Marshal
Organization(s)
CAL FIRE OSFM
Publication Date
California Office of the State Fire Marshal's homepage for the Building Materials Listing Program, providing builders, contractors, architects, and others with access to a database of fire alarm systems and fire-resistant construction materials including roof coverings, wall, ceiling, and floor...

Building Materials Listings - Search Listing Services

Author(s)
Cal Fire Office of the State Fire Marshal
Organization(s)
Cal Fire,
CAL FIRE OSFM
Publication Date
California Office of the State Fire Marshal's compiled and searchable list of different building materials and their test results for fire resistance.

C-36 - Plumbing Contractor

Author(s)
California Contractors State License Board
Organization(s)
CSLB
Publication Date
California State Code of Regulations, Title 16, Division 8, Article 3, listing requirements for plumbing contractors.

Central United States Earthquake Consortium Website

Author(s)
Central United States Earthquake Consortium
Organization(s)
CUSEC
Publication Date
Website providing disaster preparedness information and resources for residents and building owners in locations susceptible to earthquakes.

Climate Consultant

Author(s)
Milne Murray
Organization(s)
Society of Building Science Educators,
SBSE,
University of California Los Angeles,
UCLA
Publication Date
Climate Consultant is a software tool for helping architects, builders, contractor, homeowners, and students to understand their local climate.

Comparison of Select NFIP & Building Code Requirements for Special Flood Hazard Areas

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Documents describing the similarities and differences between the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) minimum requirements and the requirements of the International Codes® (I-Codes®) and ASCE 24, Flood Resistant Design and Construction, a standard referenced by the I-Codes., and illustrating...

Designing Your Home to Survive Wildfires

Author(s)
Milne Murray
Organization(s)
University of California Los Angeles,
UCLA
Publication Date
Wildfire resistant home checklist from Murray Milne, a professor of architecture at UCLA, who outlines seven steps to take to improve a home's chance of survival during a wildfire.

Discover how to stay safe during a flood

Author(s)
Pacific Gas & Electric
Organization(s)
PG&E
Publication Date
Guidelines from PG&E outlining how to stay safe during a flood event by shutting off natural gas and electric service to the home.

Electric Fan Use for Cooling During Hot Weather: A Biophysical Modelling Study

Author(s)
Morris Nathan B,
Chaseling Georgia K,
English Timothy,
Gruss Fabian,
Maideen Mohammad Fauzan Bin,
Capon Anthony,
Jay Ollie
Organization(s)
University of Sydney,
University of Copenhagen,
University of Montreal,
Monash University,
The Lancet Planetary Health,
The Lancet Group
Publication Date
Study testing the effect of fan cooling on healthy adults at increased ambient temperatures.

Emergency Water Supply for Firefighting

Author(s)
Boulder County Land Use Department,
Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting Department
Organization(s)
Boulder County
Publication Date
A factsheet that provides information and requirements for emergency water supplies for firefighting in Boulder County, Colorado.

Excess Flow Valve

Author(s)
City of Ellensburg
Organization(s)
City of Ellensburg
Publication Date
Flyer from the City of Ellensburg WA describing what an excess flow valve is, how they work, and associated costs.

Excess Flow Valves

Author(s)
Colorado Springs Utilities
Organization(s)
CSU
Publication Date
Website for gas utility customers describing the installation of excess flow valves to stop the flow of natural gas into a home in the event of a line rupture.

Excess Flow Valves

Author(s)
Knoxville Utilities Board
Organization(s)
KUB
Publication Date
Webpage describing what excess flow valves are, how they work, and the installation process.

Excess Flow Valves

Author(s)
TECO Peoples Gas
Organization(s)
TECO
Publication Date
Utility webpage describing the monetary costs associated with excess flow valves for TECO in Florida.

Facts + Statistics: Wildfires

Author(s)
Insurance Information Institute
Organization(s)
III
Publication Date
Webpage with statistics on recent U.S. wildfires.

FEMA Safe Room Resources

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
A website containing FEMA publications on safe rooms for both residential and community use.

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.

FEMA Shelter-in-Place Fact Sheets

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Fact sheets giving steps for residents to shelter in place during several disaster or emergency scenarios, including flash floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, thunderstorms, tornadoes, winter storms, active shooters, chemical hazards, nuclear/radiological events, pandemics, as well as guidance for...

FEMA Title 44 CFR § 60.3(e)(7))

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
FEMA guidance for flood damage in areas prone to flooding.

Fire Network: Preparing Your Home - Assess Risks and Prioritize Your Actions

Author(s)
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
Organization(s)
UCANR,
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 Spread on Ember-Ignited Decks

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety,
National Fire Protection Association
Organization(s)
IBHS,
NFPA
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing research conducted by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety into how burning embers can ignite softwood decks like redwood and cedar and how to minimize the likelihood these decks will be ignited by embers.

Flood Resistant Provisions of the International Codes

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Documents describing Flood Resistant Provisions of the international codes (including the international building, residential, exiting building, mechanical, plumbing, fuel gas, fire, swimming pool and spa, private sewage disposal, and code council performance codes) and summaries of changes from the...

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.

Freeze Protection for CPVC Fire Sprinkler Piping Guide

Author(s)
City of Gresham,
State of Oregon
Organization(s)
City of Gresham,
State of Oregon
Publication Date
A guideline containing fire sprinkler insulation requirements from the Prescott, Arizona Fire Department.

Gas Safety Tips

Author(s)
Pacific Gas & Electric
Organization(s)
PG&E
Publication Date
Webpage describing the safety hazards associated with natural gas and tips on how to avoid these hazards by a step process of turning off natural gas service to a home and restoring service afterwards.

Gas Shut-Off Valve Requirements

Author(s)
Town of Danville CA
Organization(s)
Town of Danville CA
Publication Date
Brochure for natural gas utility customers describing seismic valves and excess flow valves for homes.

Gas Shutoff Devices

Author(s)
Pacific Gas & Electric
Organization(s)
PG&E
Publication Date
Webpage describing when and how to safely turn off the natural gas to the home during an emergency.

Gas Shutoff Valve Certification for Residential Structures

Author(s)
Commins Tav
Organization(s)
State of California Division of the State Architect
Publication Date
Webpage with certification requirements for excess flow and earthquake valves from California's Division of the State Architect (DSA).

Get Rid of Rats and Mice

Author(s)
King County Washington
Organization(s)
King County WA
Publication Date
Article describing a 9-step process to getting rid of rats and mice, and some preventative actions to take.

HardiPlank Lap Siding Butt Joint Flashing

Author(s)
Fratzel Todd
Organization(s)
Home Construction and Improvement
Publication Date
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.

Hazard and Risk Assessment Maps

Author(s)
U.S. Geological Survey
Organization(s)
USGS
Publication Date
Webpage providing maps and information to assess the particular hazards and risks for an area.