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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 - 34 of 34

2015 IFC - International Fire Code

Author(s)
International Code Council
Organization(s)
ICC
Publication Date
2015 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.

ANSI/ASCE/SEI 25-16: Earthquake-Actuated Automatic Gas Shutoff Devices

Author(s)
American Society of Civil Engineers
Organization(s)
ASCE,
Structural Engineering Institute,
SEI,
American National Standards Institute,
ANSI
Publication Date
Standard providing minimum functionality requirements for earthquake-actuated automatic gas shutoff devices. Applicable to systems carrying natural gas and propane, the devices are used in piping, equipment, and appliances typically found in structures of three stories or less. The current version...

Association of Bay Area Governments

Author(s)
Association of Bay Area Governments
Organization(s)
ABAG
Publication Date
A basic guide walking through the various types of valves useful in mitigating the effects of earthquakes and other seismic events on natural gas pipelines for residential use.

Building Thermal Performance, Extreme Heat, and Climate Change

Author(s)
Matthew J. Nahlik,
Mikhail V. Chester,
Stephanie S. Pincetl,
David Eisenman,
Deepak Sivaraman,
Paul English
Organization(s)
ASCE
Publication Date
Article published by American Society of Civil Engineers on different building types and their effictiveness resisting extreme heat from a building envelope perspective.

Creating a Fire Adapted Home

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
A factsheet that offers guidance on choosing appropriate materials and using proper construction practices when rebuilding, repairing, or renovating a home to increase its resistance to fires.

Earthquake Risk

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Website providing links to scalable guidance and tools about the importance of earthquake mitiation to the private sector, its owners, managers, and employees.

Emergency Vehicle Turnaround

Author(s)
San Diego County Fire Authority
Organization(s)
San Diego County
Publication Date
A San Diego County standard highlighting the requirements for residential emergency vehicle turnarounds.

Fire Code Terminology Related to Fire Tests

Author(s)
Minnesota Department of Public Safety,
State Fire Marshal Division
Organization(s)
MN SFM
Publication Date
Factsheet describing fire related terms such as noncombustible, fire resistant, fire retardant, flame spread, how they are applied, and related testing standards.

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.

Fortified Technical Bulletin: Eligible Dwellings

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Checklist providing specific information about the type of residential building eligible for designation consideration in the FORTIFIED Home program.

Fortified Technical Bulletin: Roof Deck

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Checklist providing information on how and when to install solid sheathing over spaced deck boards on homes located in areas that use the FORTIFIED Home™–High Wind standards.

Glazing Hazard Mitigation

Author(s)
Smith,
Renfroe
Organization(s)
NIBS
Publication Date
Article describing the fundamentals and basics of glazing hazard mitigation practices for both new and existing buildings.

Industry Becoming More Comfortable with Excess Flow Valves

Author(s)
Pipeline & Gas Journal
Organization(s)
Pipeline & Gas Journal
Publication Date
Article describing excess flow valves installed on gas lines to shut-off natural gas flow to a home in the event that a gas line is severed due to an earthquake, natural disaster, earthquake, etc.

New LSSJ Hanger Strengthens Jack Rafter Connections

Author(s)
Simpson Strong Tie
Organization(s)
Simpson Strong Tie Structural Engineering Blog
Publication Date
Article describing a steel connector product for jack rafter connections.

Performance profiles of exterior fire protective building envelopes

Author(s)
Jarnskjold Tobias,
Jensen Geir,
Knudsen Atle
Organization(s)
Edition Diffusion Presse Sciences,
EDP Sciences
Publication Date
A study on how fires spread through exterior building envelopes with discussion on how fires propagate in a rain screen cavity.

Phased Retrofits in Existing Homes in Florida Phase I: Shallow and Deep Retrofits

Author(s)
Parker Danny,
Sutherland Karen,
Chasar Dave,
Montemumo Joseph,
Amos Bryan,
Kono Jamie E
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Report describing research on how to reduce energy used by residential homes by applying shallow and deep retrofits to an existing home.

Phased Retrofits in Existing Homes in Florida Phase II: Shallow Plus Retrofits

Author(s)
Sutherland Karen,
Parker Danny,
Martin Eric,
Chasar Dave,
Amos Bryan
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction,
BA-PIRC
Publication Date
Report describing single retrofit measures applied to shallow retrofitted homes that could be used to refine the deep retrofit package.

Prepare Home Fuel Tanks for Possible Flooding

Author(s)
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Organization(s)
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Publication Date
Webpage for home owners describing ways to prepare indoor and outdoor fuel tanks to avoid displacement during floods.

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.

Rebuilding After a Wildfire

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing conditions for wildfire, how a home catches fire, how to create a survivable space, the ideal fire resistant home.

Seismic Design Principles

Author(s)
Lorant
Organization(s)
NIBS
Publication Date
Website providing an introduction to the concepts and principles of seismic design.

Seismic Safety of the Building Envelope

Author(s)
Arnold Chris
Organization(s)
Whole Building Design Guide,
WBDG,
National Institute of Building Sciences,
NIBS
Publication Date
Article outlining the key issues related to the protection of the building envelope against seismic forces.

Standard Guide for Seismic Risk Assessment of Buildings, ASTM E2026-16a

Author(s)
American Society for Testing and Materials,
ASTM International
Organization(s)
ASTM
Publication Date
Guide providing guidance on conducting seismic risk assessments for buildings. The link goes to the current version of this standard, which was published in the year 2016 and is available for preview and purchase. Previous editions of this standard were published in the year 2016, 2007, and 1999...

Standard Practice for Probable Maximum Loss (PML) Evaluations for Earthquake Due-Diligence Assessments, ASTM E2557-16a

Author(s)
ASTM International
Organization(s)
ASTM
Publication Date
Practice providing a guide or standard to undertake seismic risk assessment of properties. The current version of the standard was published in the year 2016 and is available for preview and purchase at the link. Previous versions of the standard were published in the years 2016 and 2007, and are...

Wall Bracing Made Easy

Author(s)
Bajnai Charles S
Organization(s)
Chesterfield County VA Building Department
Publication Date
A guide describing how to do wall bracing calculations and evaluations.

Wall Performance by Design: Role of Rainscreens in Moisture Management

Author(s)
Building Enclosure Moisture Management Institute
Organization(s)
BEMMI
Publication Date
A presentation about the need for rainscreens including the damage water and moisture ingress into a home’s siding and framing can cause, and ways to design a resilient wall that drains and ventilates well.