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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 101 - 150 of 153

Monitoring of Unvented Roofs with Fibrous Insulation, Diffusion Vents, and Interior Vapor Control in a Cold Climate

Author(s)
Ueno Kohta,
Joseph W. Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Publication Date
Report detailing a three-winter study on unvented roof assemblies in a cold climate, assessing insulation material, ridge diffusion vent presence, vapor control membranes, relative humidity, and interstitial airflow. Results indicate that utilizing air-permeable fibrous fill insulations in unvented...

Monitoring of Unvented Roofs with Fibrous Insulation, Diffusion Vents, and Interior Vapor Control in a Cold Climate

Author(s)
Ueno Kohta,
Joseph W. Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Publication Date
Report detailing a three-winter study on unvented roof assemblies in a cold climate, assessing insulation material, ridge diffusion vent presence, vapor control membranes, relative humidity, and interstitial airflow. Results indicate that utilizing air-permeable fibrous fill insulations in unvented...

Multifamily Ventilation Retrofit Strategies

Author(s)
Ueno Kohta,
Lstiburek Joseph,
Bergey Daniel
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Research study examining the performance of existing multifamily ventilation central systems and explored alternative solutions in retrofit situations.

National Grid Deep Energy Retrofit Pilot

Author(s)
Neuhauser
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Report about a test home project evaluating strategies to elevate the performance of existing homes to a level commensurate with best-in-class implementation of high performance new construction homes.

New Light in Crawlspaces, BSI-009

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Building science insight into crawlspaces.

No Sweat, BSI-094

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Guide providing information on controlling attic ductwork sweating.

Proven Performance of Seven Cold Climate Deep Retrofit Homes

Author(s)
Osser,
Neuhauser,
Ueno
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Report about seven pilot homes and development of guidelines for deep energy retrofits in cold climates.

Quality Assurance Roadmap for High Performance Residential Buildings, GM-0801

Author(s)
Lstiburek,
Eng,
Pettit
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
BSC
Publication Date
Document outlining the approach to quality assurance in the construction process as recommended by Building Science Corporation for new residential construction.

Rain Control in Buildings, BSD-013

Author(s)
Straube
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Document covering basic moisture control principles in the design of above-grade building enclosures; driving rain as a moisture load on walls; a classification system of the various rain control strategies available for walls; and good design practises for walls.

READ THIS: Before You Design, Build or Renovate, GM-0602

Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph,
Brennan Terry
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Document with important building science considerations, designed for members of the residential construction and remodeling industries, as well as owners and managers who work in affordable housing.

READ THIS: Before You Move In, GM-0606

Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph,
Brennan Terry
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report describing steps homeowners can take to improve the indoor air quality in their home, including ventilating, preventing pests, and reducing pollutants in the home.

READ THIS: Before You Turn Over a Unit, GM-0603

Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Information sheet designed for the residential construction and remodeling industries, as well as owners and managers working in affordable housing. This sheet presents building guidance for both new construction and rehabilitation, as well as practices that can be used by property maintenance...

READ THIS: Before You Ventilate, GM-0604

Author(s)
Rudd Armin
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Document reviewing ventilation strategies for different climate zones that also includes schematic drawings and photographs of various ventilation installations.

Rebuilding Houston, BSI–101

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report covering the reconstruction of flood damaged homes.

Residential Dehumidification Systems Research for Hot-Humid Climates

Author(s)
Rudd,
Lstiburek,
Eng,
Ueno
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Publication Date
Research study identifying the best performing, most energy-efficient and cost- effective techniques to provide controlled mechanical ventilation and humidity control in hot- humid climates with thermally efficient building envelopes.

Retrofit of a MultiFamily Mass Masonry Building in New England

Author(s)
Ueno,
Kerrigan,
Wytrykowska,
Van Straaten
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Research study about a high performance retrofit of an existing brick building (a former convent) into condominiums, all affordable housing.

Rocks Don’t Burn, BSI–068

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report covering non-combustible continuous exterior insulation and non-combustible roof venting.

Slab Happy, BSI-059

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
How hard can it be to insulate a flat sheet of concrete? I mean you only have three choices – on the top, on the bottom, or on the edge. OK, you might have some combination of the three as well.

Stress Relief, BSI–015

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report covering coating and back venting wood based claddings and trim.

Supplemental Dehumidification in Warm-Humid Climates, BA-1310

Author(s)
Rudd
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
This document covers a description of the need and applied solutions for supplemental dehumidification in warm-humid climates, especially for energy efficient homes where the sensible cooling load has been dramatically reduced.

The Perfect Wall, BSI-001

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
BSC,
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Article describing the perfect wall and and in what order to control rain, air, vapor, and heat.

They All Laughed, BSI-026

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
BSC,
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Article describing the evolution of the IRC to permit class 3 vapor retarders (latex paint) in walls coupled with exterior continuous insulation to allow drying and reduce condensation risk.

Toward Simple, Affordable Zero Energy Houses

Author(s)
Christian Jeffrey E,
Beal David,
Kerrigan Philip
Organization(s)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
ORNL,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Paper describing testing for the first of a series of six near net-zero-energy test houses, using the results to work towards the construction of a true net-zero-energy house.

Towards Sustainability - Green Building, Sustainability Objectives, and Building America Whole House Systems Research, BA-0801

Author(s)
Lukachko Alex,
Lstiburek Joseph
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report discussing Building America whole house systems research within the broad effort to reduce or eliminate the environmental impact of building and provides specific recommendations for future Building America research based on Building Science Corporations experience with several recent...

Understanding Air Barriers, BSD-104

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Information sheet providing definitions, applications, and techniques for applying air barriers.

Understanding Attic Ventilation, BSD-102

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
BSD-102 report providing guidance about whether to construct a vented or unvented attic based on hygro-thermal zone.

Understanding Basements, BSD-103

Author(s)
Joseph Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Information sheet with methods for constructing or retrofitting basements to reduce moisture issues.

Understanding Drainage Planes, BSD-105

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Guide providing information about controlling rainwater through use of drainage planes.

Understanding Vapor Barriers, BSD-106

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Information sheet describing the function of a vapor barrier, and methods to retard the migration of water vapor.

Unvented Roof Assemblies for All Climates, BSD-149

Author(s)
Schumacher
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report reviewing unvented roof assemblies, such as conditioned attics and unvented cathedral ceilings that are becoming common in North American construction.

Unvented Roof Summary, RR-0301

Author(s)
Kohta
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Document summarizing the various papers on unvented conditioned cathedralized attics found on BSC's website.

Vented and Sealed Attics in Hot Climates

Author(s)
Rudd Armin,
Lstiburek Joseph
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Building science report describing issues with vented attics in hot-humid climates and how sealed attic construction may be a solution.

Ventilation System Effectiveness and Tested Indoor Air Quality Impacts

Author(s)
Rudd,
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
This report describes how twenty homes were tested and monitored in the Zone 2 climate of Houston, Texas, U.S.A., to evaluate the humidity control performance and operating cost of six different integrated dehumidification and ventilation systems that could be applied by production homebuilders.

Venting Vapor, BSI-088

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Guide providing information on controlling attic ductwork sweating.

Volatile Organic Compound Concentrations and Emission Rates in New Manufactured and Site-Built Houses, RR-0803

Author(s)
Rudd Armin,
Hodgson Alfred T,
Beal David,
Chandra Subrato
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report describing concentrations of 54 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ventilation rates that were measured in four new manufactured houses over 2 - 9.5 months following installation and in seven new site built houses 1 - 2 months after completion.

Water Managed Wall Systems, PA-0301

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Document outlining a well-detailed drainage plane and flashings.

Water Management of Noninsulating and Insulating Sheathings

Author(s)
Smegal,
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Report summarizing current research, summarizes issues that have been experienced with current best practices, and recommends ways in which the best practices can be improved for water managing sheathings.

Westford House, BSI-018

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report describing sloped roof assemblies with high levels of thermal performance.