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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 1 - 50 of 203

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet summarizing the changes to the flood provisions in the 2012 I-Codes that appear in the 2015 edition.
Author(s)
International Code Council,
Florida Building Commission
Organization(s)
ICC,
FBC
Publication Date
Description
Florida building code including all the amendments and additions by Florida for the wind-borne debris regions and the high-velocity hurricane zone.
Author(s)
McGuigan Connor
Organization(s)
Sierra Club
Publication Date
Description
Article from the Sierra Club explaining 5 steps to take to ensure your home's resistance to wildfires, including site maintenance and roof construction guidelines.
Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Article describing methods for venting a vented attic and a roof assembly over an unvented attic.
Author(s)
Global Cool Cities Alliance,
R20 Regions of Climate Action
Organization(s)
GCCA,
R20
Publication Date
Description
Guide developed to help contractors, building operators, and city officials successfully adopt cool roof and pavement technology.
Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Energy Star web page providing guidance on attic ventilation.
Author(s)
APA - The Engineered Wood Association
Organization(s)
APA
Publication Date
Description
A publication highlighting recommendations that contribute to improved overall performance in the structural shell and focus on good connection details to tie together exterior walls, roofs and floors.
Author(s)
Wilkerson
Organization(s)
Medeek Design
Publication Date
Description
Webpage providing mapping tool for obtaining ground snow load, based on ASCE 7-10, for any location in the contiguous United States, with the exception of locations requiring a case study due to extreme local variations in ground snow loads. Fee required for some data.
Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Technical fact sheet describing ways to construct asphalt shingle roofs to be more resistant to high winds and hurricanes; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”
Author(s)
Neuhauser
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report about a project that examines implementation of advanced retrofit measures in the context of a large-scale weatherization program and the archetypal Chicago, Illinois, brick bungalow.
Author(s)
Mallay,
Kochkin
Organization(s)
Home Innovation Research Labs
Publication Date
Description
This report outlines research activities that are expected to facilitate the adoption of energy retrofits by remodeling contractors and roofing contractors using retrofit panels. The results of this research will be applicable to many existing house designs in most climates and markets. The...
Author(s)
Van der Meer Bill
Organization(s)
The Weatherization Training Center at Penn College
Publication Date
Description
Technical article describing issues and moisture concerns related to weatherization efforts.
Author(s)
Hammer & Hand
Organization(s)
Hammer & Hand
Publication Date
Description
This Best Practices Manual is the product of Hammer & Hand’s ongoing work to document and internally codify our standard operating procedures for construction practice.
Author(s)
Baechler Michael C,
Gilbride Theresa L,
Hefty Marye G,
Cole Pam C,
Adams Karen T,
Noonan Chrissy F,
Love Pat M
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL
Publication Date
Description
A guidebook helping builders design and construct homes that are among the most energy efficient available, while addressing issues such as building durability, indoor air quality, and occupant health, safety, and comfort. Measures described in this guide can help builders in the hot-humid climate...
Author(s)
Baechler Michael C,
Gilbride Theresa L,
Hefty Marye G,
Williamson Jennifer,
Ruiz Kathi,
Bartlett Rosemarie,
Love Pat M
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL
Publication Date
Description
Report providing builders in the hot-dry and mixed-dry climates with guidance for building homes that have whole-house energy savings of 40% over the Building America benchmark with no added overall costs for consumers.
Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Article describing the control layers (air, thermal, and vapor barriers) needed to build homes successfully in very cold locations.
Author(s)
Building Science Corporation
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.
Author(s)
Tucker,
Jill
Organization(s)
SFGate
Publication Date
Description
News article from SFGate explaining and giving figures on how chimney failure is the most common type of damage to homes during an earthquake.
Author(s)
Tile Roofing Institute,
Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA)
Organization(s)
Tile Roofing Institute,
Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA)
Publication Date
Description
Installation manual outlining proper installation practices, industry standards and the code requirements of roofing tiles.
Author(s)
Zero Energy Project
Organization(s)
Zero Energy Project
Publication Date
Description
Guidance from Zero Energy Project on construction techniques for warmer climates, such as home orientation, and insulation requirements.
Author(s)
Aldrich Robb,
Williamson Jim
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Research report anayzing the results of a large retrofit project, turining an old school into near zero energy consumption apartments in Greenfield MA.
Author(s)
Akbari Hashem,
Levinson Ronnen,
Wiel Stephen,
Desjarlais Andre,
Miller William,
Jenkins Nancy,
Rosenfeld Arthur,
Scruton Chris
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
LBNL
Publication Date
Description
Study describing efforts and outcomes in developing color-pigmented roofing products with coatings to increase solar reflectance.
Publication Date
Description
Website providing information about the Cool Roof Rating Council including programs, membership, and resources for the construction industry.
Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Webpage from U.S. Department of Energy describing 'cool roofs' and their usage for passive home cooling.
Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
Organization(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
EPA
Publication Date
Description
Web page providing information on the types of cool roofs and their benefits to consumers.
Author(s)
Heat Island Group
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
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.
Author(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Organization(s)
LBNL
Publication Date
Description
Tool developed by LBNL to calculate potential savings from increasing wall and roof solar reflectance.
Author(s)
Parker Danny,
Sherwin John,
Sonne Jeffrey
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Description
Study reporting the results of comparative testing of the effect of finished and unfinished metal roofing systems on cooling energy performance in a test facility.
Author(s)
Cool Roof Rating Council
Organization(s)
CRRC
Publication Date
Description
Website providing information on cool roofs and walls for contractors, homeowners, architects, and code officials, including a directory of rated products.
Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Article describing strategies for reducing the risk of ice dam formation on roofs in winter.
Author(s)
Joseph Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Description
Article describing the importance of air sealing, insulation, and roof ventilation in reducing the likelihood of ice dam formation on roofs in cold snowy climates.
Author(s)
University of Minnesota Extension
Organization(s)
University of Minnesota
Publication Date
Description
Webpage explaining what causes the formation of ice dams on roofs and steps to take to prevent them.