Library | Building America Solution Center

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 - 19 of 19

Byggmeister Test Home: Cold Climate Multifamily Masonry Building Condition Assessment and Retrofit Analysis

Author(s)

Wytrykowska,

Ueno,

Van Straaten

Organization(s)

Building Science Corporation,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Publication Date

September, 2012

Report describing findings from a multifamily test home focusing on the combination of energy measures that are feasible, affordable and suitable for multifamily construction in cold climates.

Chamberlain Heights Redevelopment: A Large Scale, Cold Climate Study of Affordable Housing Retrofits

Author(s)

Donnelly,

Mahle

Organization(s)

CARB,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

Steven Winter Associates,

SWA

Publication Date

March, 2012

Report about City of Meriden Housing Authority's (MHA) collaboration with Jonathon Rose Companies to complete a gut renovation of 126 residential units in the Chamberlain Heights retrofit project.

Expert Meeting Report: Interior Insulation Retrofit of Mass Masonry Wall Assemblies

Author(s)

Ueno,

Van Straaten

Organization(s)

Building Science Corporation,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Publication Date

February, 2012

Expert Meeting about interior insulation retrofit of mass masonry wall assemblies held on July 30, 2011.

External Insulation of Masonry Walls and Wood Framed Walls

Author(s)

Baker Peter

Organization(s)

Building Science Corporation,

BSC,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

Publication Date

January, 2013

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.

High-R Walls for New Construction Structural Performance: Integrated Rim Header Testing

Author(s)

DeRenzis,

Kochkin,

Wiehagen

Organization(s)

NAHB Research Center,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Publication Date

January, 2013

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.

High-R Walls for New Construction Structural Performance: Wind Pressure Testing

Author(s)

DeRenzis,

Kochkin

Organization(s)

NAHB Research Center,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Publication Date

January, 2013

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.

High-R Walls for Remodeling: Wall Cavity Moisture Monitoring

Author(s)

Wiehagen,

Kochkin

Organization(s)

NAHB Research Center,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Publication Date

December, 2012

Research study presenting results of an existing home monitoring project designed to measure wall cavity moisture characteristics.

Measure Guideline: Installing Rigid Foam Insulation on the Interior of Existing Brick Walls

Author(s)

Natarajan,

Klocke,

Puttagunta

Organization(s)

CARB,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

Steven Winter Associates,

SWA

Publication Date

June, 2012

Information sheet providing information on installing Rigid XPS foam board insulation to existing brick masonry walls.

Measure Guideline: Internal Insulation of Masonry Walls

Author(s)

Straube,

Ueno,

Schumacher

Organization(s)

Building Science Corporation,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Publication Date

July, 2012

Report summarizing the importance of properly insulating and air sealing masonry walls, providing step by step instructions and approaches.

Measure Guideline: Wall Air Sealing and Insulation Methods in Existing Homes; An Overview of Opportunity and Process

Author(s)

Roberts,

Stephenson

Organization(s)

NAHB Research Center Industry Partnership,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Publication Date

September, 2012

Document providing renovators and retrofit contractors an overview of considerations when including wall air sealing and insulation in an energy retrofit project.

Moisture and Structural Analysis for High Performance Hybrid Wall Assemblies

Author(s)

Grin,

Lstiburek

Organization(s)

Building Science Corporation,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Publication Date

September, 2012

Report describing the work conducted for high performance hybrid assemblies.

Moisture Research - Optimizing Wall Assemblies

Author(s)

Arena Lois,

Mantha Pallavi

Organization(s)

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,

CARB,

Steven Winter Associates,

SWA,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

Publication Date

May, 2013

Report describing evaluation of several configurations of wall assemblies to determine the accuracy of moisture modeling and make recommendations to ensure durable, efficient assemblies.

Predicted Versus Actual Savings for a Low-Rise Multifamily Retrofit in Boulder, Colorado

Author(s)

Arena Lois,

Williamson Jim

Organization(s)

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,

CARB,

Steven Winter Associates,

SWA,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

Publication Date

November, 2013

Report documenting actual energy savings of a retrofit project in Boulder, CO.

Predicting Envelope Leakage in Attached Dwellings

Author(s)

Faakye Omari,

Arena Lois,

Griffiths Dianne

Organization(s)

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,

CARB,

Steven Winter Associates,

SWA,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

Publication Date

July, 2013

Research study exploring a test method measuring air leakage between units through common surfaces and air infiltration across exterior, noncommon surfaces of the enclosure.

Summary of Code Barriers: Summary of Code and Standard Barriers to the Implementation of High Performance Home Systems Designs

Author(s)

NAHB Research Center

Organization(s)

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Publication Date

December, 2009

Document describing issues of wind pressure resistance in walls with exterior rigid foam sheathing installed directly over framing members.

Thermal Impact of Fasteners in High-Performance Wood-Framed Walls

Author(s)

Christensen Dane

Organization(s)

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

Publication Date

January, 2011

Research study investigating the thermal efficiency of fasteners, namely drywall screws and siding nails, in high-performance wood-framed walls.

Three-Dimensional Numerical Evaluation of Thermal Performance of Uninsulated Wall Assemblies

Author(s)

Ridouane El Hassan,

Bianchi Marcus V A

Organization(s)

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

Publication Date

November, 2011

Research study describing a detailed 3D computational fluid dynamics model that evaluates the thermal performance of uninsulated wall assemblies.

Verification and Validation of EnergyPlus Conduction Finite Difference and Phase Change Material Models for Opaque Wall Assemblies

Author(s)

Tabares-Velasco Paulo Cesar,

Christensen Craig,

Bianchi Marcus V A,

Booten Chuck

Organization(s)

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

Publication Date

July, 2012

Report summarizing NRELs efforts to develop diagnostic test cases to conduct accurate energy simulations when phase change materials (PCMs) are modeled in residential buildings.

Wisdom Way Solar Village: Design, Construction, and Analysis of a Low Energy Community

Author(s)

Aldrich Robb

Organization(s)

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,

CARB,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL,

Steven Winter Associates,

SWA

Publication Date

August, 2012

Report describing the design and construction of a highly energy efficient community of ten duplexes in Greenfield, Massachusetts.