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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 69

Preparing for the Worst: DOE’s Building America Solution Center Disaster Resistance Tool

Author(s)
Gilbride Theresa L
Organization(s)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
PNNL
Publication Date
Fact sheet poster describing an online tool offered within the Building America Solution Center which provides construction guidance for builders and contractors in building and renovating homes to be more resistant to natural disasters such as hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes and wildfires, etc.

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.

Passive Solar Design

Author(s)
Williams College
Organization(s)
Williams College
Publication Date
Article from Williams College on the key elements of passive solar design for homes.

FORTIFIED Home Re-Roofing Checklist - High Wind

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Checklist providing information about the specific requirements of FORTIFIED Roof™ design and construction standard for re-roofing specific for high wind resistance.

FORTIFIED Home Re-Roofing Checklist - Hurricane

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Checklist providing information about the specific requirements of FORTIFIED Roof™ design and construction standard for re-roofing specific for hurricane resistance.

FEMA Safe Rooms

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Webpage describing the purpose of safe rooms and criteria necessary to meet FEMA P-361 and P-320 criteria.

Residential Tornado Safe Room Doors

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing residential tornado safe room doors.

FEMA 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.

Fire Protection Systems

Author(s)
National Fire Protection Association
Organization(s)
NFPA
Publication Date
Articles, research, case studies, and more outlining considerations for planning and installation of a fire-protection system.

Designing Your Home to Survive Wildfires

Author(s)
Milne Murray
Organization(s)
University of California Los Angeles,
UCLA
Publication Date
Wildfire resistant home checklist from Murray Milne, a professor of architecture at UCLA, who outlines seven steps to take to improve a home's chance of survival during a wildfire.

Fire Network: Preparing Your Home - Assess Risks and Prioritize Your Actions

Author(s)
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
Organization(s)
UCANR,
University of California Cooperative Extension
Publication Date
Guidelines from the University of California Cooperative Extension on how fires spread, how homes typically burn, and what homeowners can do to prepare their homes for wildfire season.

Vertical Bottom Inlet

Author(s)
Pacific Seismic Products
Organization(s)
Pacific Seismic Products
Publication Date
Products and specification for a State of California-compliant earthquake-actuated automatic gas shutoff valve.

Disconnect or Redirect Your Downspout Brochure

Author(s)
Mid-America Regional Council
Organization(s)
MARC
Publication Date
A guide on the use of rain barrels for greater water efficiency and use in gardens and lawns.

Hurricane Retrofit Guide - Gable End Overhangs

Author(s)
Florida Disaster
Organization(s)
Florida Division of Emergency Management
Publication Date
A document aimed at reducing the vulnerability of a gable end roof to wind damage in a hurricane.

Small Wind Electric Systems

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
A website discussing the use of consumer-grade small electric wind systems such as turbines to lower energy costs.

FORTIFIED Home Inside FORTIFIED

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Website providing resources for roofers to construct high-wind, hurricane, and hail-resistant roofs from IBHS Fortified program.

2020 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures, Volume II: Part 3 Resource Papers, FEMA P-2082-2

Author(s)
Building Seismic Safety Council,
National Institute of Building Sciences,
Federal Emergency Management Agency,
National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program
Organization(s)
BSSC,
NIBS,
FEMA,
NEHRP
Publication Date
Document containing a series of resource papers that describe earthquake design components, including shear walls, resiliency, ground motion, and story drift and deflection, among others.

Create a Fire Smart Yard

Author(s)
FIRESafe Marin
Organization(s)
FIRESafe Marin
Publication Date
Webpage from FireSafe Marin explaining the different landscaping strategies near homes to lower the risk of a home's ignition from wildfire.

LEED v4.1 Certification Program

Author(s)
U.S Green Building Council
Organization(s)
USGBC
Publication Date
Website explaining the LEED v4.1 program and providing a portal for those who want to investigate or start a LEED project.

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.

2020 Fortified Home Standard Detail Set Hurricane

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Guide describing the requirements by FORTIFIED Home™ for improving the home's resistance in severe thunderstorms, straight-line wind events, and high winds at the outer edges of tornadoes.

RELi Rating System

Author(s)
Geen Business Certification Inc.,
U.S. Green Building Council
Organization(s)
USGBC
Publication Date
Website describing the RELi rating system and leadership standard that takes a holistic approach to resilient design.

FORTIFIED Home Re-Roofing Checklist - High Wind & Hail

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Checklist providing information about the specific requirements of FORTIFIED Roof™ design and construction standard for re-roofing specific for high wind and hail resistance.

Hail Supplement to the High Wind Standard

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Guide describing the requirements by FORTIFIED Home™ for improving the home's resistance to high wind and hail.

FORTIFIED Home Hurricane Technical Requirements Summary: Existing Homes

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Report summarizing the requirements for strenghtening and protecting the roof, openings in the house, and creating a continuous load path to strengthen walls and foundation per the IBHS Fortified Homes Hurricane Standard for Existing Homes.

FORTIFIED Home Choosing the Right Tape

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Checklist providing recommendations for the right tape in order to reduce the risk of leaks during storms with wind-driven rain.

2019 Fortified Home New Construction Hurricane Technical Summary

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Report summarizing the requirements for strenghtening and protecting the roof, openings in the house, and creating a continuous load path to strengthen walls and foundation per the IBHS Fortified Homes Hurricane Standard for New Homes.

FORTIFIED Home Technical Documents

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Website providing technical documents of checklists, calculators, bulletin, modular home toolkit, standard details, and corrosion resistance requirements – map set; describing the requirements of the IBHS Fortified Home program to improve the disaster resistance of new and existing homes.

NFPA 22 – Standard for Water Tanks for Private Fire Protection

Author(s)
National Fire Protection Association
Organization(s)
NFPA
Publication Date
An NFPA standards document that provides minimum requirements for the design, construction, installation, and maintenance of tanks and accessory equipment that supply water for private fire protection.

2018 Uniform Plumbing Code - UPC

Author(s)
International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials
Organization(s)
IAPMO
Publication Date
Code set from IAPMO explaining plumbing standards. 2018 publication.

Reduce Pest Intrusion

Author(s)
Building Energy Codes Program,
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Guide describing ways builders can block off entry points and otherwise make homes inhospitable to all manner of pests.

Wind Safety of the Building Envelope

Author(s)
Smith Tom
Organization(s)
Whole Building Design Guide,
WBDG
Publication Date
Article discussing structural and nonstructural building components and illustrates a variety of wind-induced damages, including wind-driven rain infiltration.

NFPA 1142 – Standard on Water Supplies for Suburban and Rural Fire Fighting

Author(s)
National Fire Protection Association
Organization(s)
NFPA
Publication Date
An NFPA Standard that identifies a method for determining the minimum water supply necessary for structural fire-fighting purposes in areas where it has been determined that there is no water or inadequate water for fire fighting.

Seismic Design Principles

Author(s)
Lorant Gabor
Organization(s)
Whole Building Design Guide,
WBDG,
Gabor Lorant Architects,
Inc.,
Lorant Group
Publication Date
Website providing an introduction to the concepts and principles of seismic design.

Fundamentals of Resilient Design: Wet Floodproofing

Author(s)
Resilient Design Institute
Organization(s)
Resilient Design Institute
Publication Date
Website describing wet floodproofing measures to prevent against structural damage, internal damage and damage to electrical components.

Seismic Retrofitting

Author(s)
The Getty Conservation Institute
Organization(s)
The GCI
Publication Date
Newsletter containing five articles focused on seismic retrofitting.

High Performance Walls in Hot-Dry Climates

Author(s)
Hoeschele Marc,
Springer David,
Dakin Bill,
German Alea
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Article from NREL on wall construction guidelines for homes in hot climate zones.