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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 151 - 200 of 253

FEMA P-762: Local Officials Guide for Coastal Construction

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
A guide aiming to assist local officials and community decision makers in coastal areas in adopting and implementing sound mitigation measures to lower building natural disaster vulnerability.

FEMA P-798, Natural Hazards and Sustainability for Residential Buildings

Author(s)
Gromala,
Kapur,
Kochkin,
Line,
Passman,
Reeder,
Trusty
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Report describing the interactions, both positive and negative, between common green building practices and the robustness of residential buildings to withstand natural hazards.

FEMA P-804, Wind Retrofit Guide for Residential Buildings

Author(s)
Kapur,
Mahadevia,
Park,
Passman,
Perotin,
Reeder,
Seitz,
Sheldon,
Tezak
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Report providing guidance on how to improve the wind resistance of existing residential buildings in Mississippi and across the Gulf Coast.

Fire in California: Windows

Author(s)
University of California Cooperative Extension
Organization(s)
University of California Cooperative Extension
Publication Date
A report showing what happens when windows break as a result of temperature differences between the inside and outside of the home, as well as code standards for the State of California regarding window exposure to wildfires.

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.

Flood Resistant Provisions of the 2015 International Codes

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Website containing information about the 2015 edition of the International Codes related to flood-resistant design and construction.

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.

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.

Gas-fired water heaters, volume III, storage water heaters with input ratings above 75,000 Btu per hour, circulating and instantaneous (ANSI Z21.10.3:19/CSA 4.3:19)

Author(s)
American National Standards Institute,
CSA Group
Organization(s)
ANSI,
CSA Group
Publication Date
Standard that applies to storage water heaters, instantaneous water heaters, and circulating water heaters including booster water heaters. The current version of this standard was published in the year 2019 and it is available for purchase along with a digital preview on the ANSI webstore page. The...

GLP Emissions Criteria

Author(s)
Carpet and Rug Institute
Organization(s)
CRI
Publication Date
Document describing the emissions criteria for carpets, cushions, and adhesives to qualify as those with low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions under the Carpet and Rug Institute's Green Label Plus Indoor Air Quality Testing Program.

Greenguard Certification for Paints and Coatings

Organization(s)
GREENGUARD Environmental Institute
Publication Date
Standard describing GREENGUARD Emission Criteria for use with GREENGUARD Certification Program for Low Emitting Products.

GREENGUARD or GREENGUARD GOLD Certification for Paints and Coatings

Author(s)
Greenguard Certification
Organization(s)
Greenguard Certification
Publication Date
Website explaining GREENGUARD Certification, which helps manufacturers create and helps buyers identify interior products and materials that have low chemical emissions, improving the quality of the air in which the products are used.

High Volume Excess Flow Valves

Author(s)
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Organization(s)
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Publication Date
Webpage describing federal regulation related to excess flow valves on residential natural gas lines.

HIGHLIGHTS OF ASCE 24-14 Flood Resistant Design and Construction

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Document describing ASCE 24-14 Flood Resistant Design and Construction changes and highlights, on topics including siting, materials, performance, and utilities.

Home Fire Safety

Author(s)
American Red Cross
Organization(s)
American Red Cross
Publication Date
Website describing ways to prevent home house fires.

How Much Ventilation Do I Need?

Author(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Organization(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Publication Date
Website with articles on home ventilation and indoor air quality.

How to Find Indoor airPLUS Compliant Low Emission Products

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Companion document to the Indoor airPLUS Construction Specifications, providing guidance on identifying compliant products, including industry databases and examples of product labeling.

HVI Airflow Test Procedure

Author(s)
Home Ventilating Institute
Organization(s)
HVI
Publication Date
Publication specifying HVI’s prescriptive procedures for testing and rating airflow of residential ventilation products in accordance with ANSI consensus standards.

Indoor airPLUS Construction Specifications Version 1 (Rev. 04)

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Document outlining specifications that were developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to recognize new homes equipped with a comprehensive set of indoor air quality (IAQ) features.

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.

Land Use Tool: Wildland-Urban Interface Code (WUI Code)

Author(s)
Planning for Hazards: Land Use Solutions for Colorado
Organization(s)
Planning for Hazards: Land Use Solutions for Colorado
Publication Date
Website describing the wildland-urban interface code and providing links to resources.

Mortgage Industry National Home Energy Rating Systems Standards

Author(s)
RESNET
Organization(s)
RESNET
Publication Date
RESNET standards aimed to ensure that accurate and consistent home energy ratings are performed by accredited home energy rating providers through their raters nationwide.

National Flood Insurance Technical Bulletins

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Resources describing the National Flood Insurance Program's technical bulletins for flood zone construction, including foundation walls, corrosion protection, floodproofing, and breakaway walls among other topics.

NEBB Section 15950 - Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing

Author(s)
National Environmental Balancing Bureau
Organization(s)
National Environmental Balancing Bureau,
NEBB
Publication Date
Standard that includes testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) to produce design flows for air and hydronic systems.

NFPA 70: National Electric Code

Author(s)
National Fire Protection Association
Organization(s)
NFPA
Publication Date
This standard provides a benchmark for safe electrical design, installation, and inspection to protect people and property from electrical hazards and has been adopted in all 50 states.

Pools & Spas: Codes and Standards Enhancement (CASE) Initiative

Author(s)
Owrth,
Ludovici,
Joyce,
Fernstrom
Organization(s)
California Energy Commission
Publication Date
This CASE report proposes updates and revisions to the standards for residential swimming pool filtration pumps, new and replacement single phase pump motors under 5 horsepower (HP), controllers, portable electric spas as well as expanding the scope of the current standards to include light emitting...

R602.10 Wall Bracing

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
ICC code chapter 6 focusing on wall bracing and wall construction.

Radon Mitigation Standards

Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Standard providing information on contractors who offer radon control services to homeowners.

Rain Screen Acknowledgement Form

Author(s)
City of Newberg
Organization(s)
City of Newberg
Publication Date
An example of a form a building codes department created to ensure builders are fully aware and have taken steps to provide drainage so that water doesn’t accumulate behind siding. This example is from the city of Newberg, Oregon.

Rating the States

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Report assessing building codes in the 18 states most prone to hurricanes, as of 2018.

Realizing Resilience through Incentives: Results from the Institute’s 2016 Symposia

Author(s)
Tobias Leanne,
Blais Neil,
Schneider Philip J
Organization(s)
National Institute of Building Sciences
Publication Date
Article describing key takeaways from two symposia held during Building Innovation 2016: The National Institute of Building Sciences Fourth Annual Conference and Expo, including that resilience can be affordable and cost-effective.

Reduce Pest Intrusion

Author(s)
Building Energy Codes Program
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Fact sheet explaining code-compliant methods for dealing with pests.

RELi Rating System

Author(s)
Geen Business Certification Inc.
Organization(s)
GBCI
Publication Date
Website describing the RELi rating system and leadership standard that takes a holistic approach to resilient design.

Residential Safe Rooms

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
A fact sheet educating homeowners on the importance of residential safe rooms, including their cost and how to register a safe room with local officials.