Library

Recovery advisory presenting key wind retrofit guidelines for buildings located in hurricane-prone regions. These retrofit guidelines are intended to help building owners and designers prevent or limit wind damage and water infiltration during high-wind events.

Article describing suggested food supplies, sanitation, safety, and cooking for during and after an emergency.

Presentation on sustainable development including water conservation, passive solar, daylighting, natural ventilation, and land use.

Presentation by the Washington University in St. Louis Office of Sustainability on saving energy.

A guide for homeowners on determining the risks from tornadoes and hurricanes and selecting a safe room type and location, as well as providing detailed plans for safe room construction.

Report presenting safe room designs and showing the homeowner and builder/contractor or local design professional how to construct a safe room for a home or small business.

Presentation on urban land use and sustainable building design.

Report providing a selected compilation of seismic rehabilitation techniques and guidance on which techniques are commonly used to mitigate specific seismic deficiencies in various model building types.

Brochure with information about how to select and install house wrap and other weather-resistive barriers.

This TechNote provides an overview of building code requirements and best practices for flashing at window and door frames.

A story about bees building a hive in the drainage plane behind the brick veneer siding. The bees entered the wall through unprotected drainage holes.

Article describing identification of termite infestations in homes and treatment options.

An introduction to the insect termites.

Fact sheet providing the wind resistant provisions of the 2015 International Residential Code.

Study on the effects of wind, radiation, and pressure on apparent temperature.

Article describing a DIY air cleaning system for filtering smoke and viruses.

Projectile missile testing of various wall panel configuration to understand how the different wall constructions would perform when struck with wind driven debris from a hurricane.

Article outlining the importance of keeping dryer exhaust ducts clean.

Article from Texas A&M University and the University of Maryland analyzing why and how urban flooding happens and what can be done to mitigate damage.

Study comparing the thermal performance of phase change materials to concrete construction during heat waves.

Article describing a field study that test ventilation performance in nine homes and found current ventilation was inadequate to remove PM2.5 and CO2 levels; however, a directly exhausting range hood can reduce peak PM2.5 concentrations by 75% or more.

Document describing the impacts of tree cover on property values.

Fact sheet describing building codes, seismic codes, and code enforcement.

Report illustrating CAD drawings and modeling of bracing layouts for a gable roof truss.

Article from Green Building Advisor on the importance of window selection in hot climates, with an emphasis on window glazing.

Report descrbing an early study pointing to the significant improvement, >50%, of a hip roof in reducing peak wind-induced pressures.

Manuals describing design, materials, and installation techniques applicable to almost all types of roof systems; four-volume set includes Metal Panel and SPF Roof Systems, Membrane Roof Systems, Architectural Metal Flashing and Condensation and Air Leakage Control, and Steep-Slope Roof Systems.

A book describing seismic retrofits to help contractors and engineers understand how to properly retrofit a home in a cost-effective manner.

Report describing seismic retrofit of historical buildings.

Paper describing the effects of shade trees and their location on residential summertime electricity usage.

Guide describing details that serve as a visual reference for each of the line items in the Thermal Enclosure System Rater Checklist.

Webpage providing guidance on the use of thermal mass with passive heating and cooling strategies.

Technical research paper explaining how thermal mass influences heating and cooling energy needs.

Design guide providing technical information regarding building with thermal mass.

Article detailing a case study in which thermal mass was used as part of an overall Net Zero solution for a university building.

Conference paper describing a proof of concept trial that demonstrated that external roller blinds can reduce heating loads in a room by 20%.

Article from Purdue University on the potential for white paint technology to lower air conditioning usage requirements.

Factsheet providing design guidance for engineers describing how to characterize snow drifts on roofs in three dimensions rather than two, as anticipated in the 2022 edition of the standards, ASCE 7 - Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures.

Webpage from the City of Fresno's Water Conservation Program describing household water conservation recommendations, including tips for maintaining evaporative coolers.

Website providing consumer tips for using natural gas safely in the home, including guidance on cooking, fireplaces, ventilation, pilot lights, piping, etc.

Webpage with data on the 20 largest wildfires in California that occurred between the year 1932 and present day.

Report presenting information that aids qualified architects and engineers in the identification of the best available refuge areas in existing buildings for sheltering in place during a tornado.

Online course describing the behavior of wildfires for firefighters.

Training course describing how to incorporate trees into an energy-conserving landscape.

Website providing guidance for people to find and use tools, information, and subject matter expertise to build climate resilience.

A report examining the presence, reliability, effectiveness, and impact of sprinkler systems in structure fires.

Webpage for the United States Geological Survey for the Department of the Interior.

Report describing actions home and business owners can take to deal with underground storage tanks that are displaced by flood waters and preventative steps they can take to reduce the likelihood of tank displacement in the future.

Information sheet providing definitions, applications, and techniques for applying air barriers.

BSD-102 report providing guidance about whether to construct a vented or unvented attic based on hygro-thermal zone.