Library

Guide providing minimum design and construction requirements for storm shelters that provide a safe refuge from storms that produce high winds, hurricanes, and tornadoes.

Report summarizing the wind-resistant provisions of the 2015 edition of the International Building Code.

Article describing thermal bridging, construction practices that encourage thermal bridging, and solutions.

Article describing methods for thermally isolating a garage in a Passive House-certified multifamily building.

Report examining the structural properties and applications of an innovative studless building system, detailing its testing regime and providing an engineering guide for architects and engineers.

Report on the design and evaluation of extended plate and beam.

Case study on the design and evaluation of extended plate and beam, located in Mount Joy Pennsylvania.

Report describing advanced framing techniques, including discussion of cost and energy savings.

Report describing approaches to using less wood in home building that minimize waste.

Fact sheet describing advanced framing techniques that reduce the amount of lumber used in constructing wood-framed houses while providing more space for wall insulation.

Fact sheet describing advanced wall framing.

Report describing the experience gained from AIA’s Disaster Assistance Program with first-hand accounts of disaster response and recovery, case studies and other best practices, including approaches to designing buildings to be more adaptable to uncertainty.

Website article interviewing the inventor of the Larsen truss, a history of its use, and a discussion of its advantages and disadvantages.

Report on adding insulation to load-bearing mass masonry buildings.

A report that evaluates the force it takes to crack stucco of various thicknesses.

Brochure explaining the essential basis for advanced framing and some of the more common advanced framing details.

A book about structurally insulated panels.

Report investigating implementation of advanced framing in both production and prototype built homes built in a variety of climate regions across the USA.

Report considers a number of promising wall systems that can meet the requirement for better thermal control.

Presentation about advanced framing techniques.

Document presenting some of the key technical properties of many of the most common building materials.

Website providing CAD files and drawings of advanced framing details.

Website providing information about building plans for the ENERGY STAR thermal bypass checklist.

Information sheet containing images and descriptions of cantilevers.

Document with information from a workshop addressing framing materials for residential buildings in California. A copy of the document can be requested at the resource link, and an online copy of the document can be found by searching for it on the California Energy Commission's Library Online...

Case study characterizing the framing factors for the exterior walls, ceilings, and floors of 180 wood-framed low-rise residential buildings across the United States.

Fact sheet describing the characteristics that make for a successful coastal residential building, including design and construction recommendations; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Document containing a 3D drawing (CAD) of advanced framing details.

FEMA risk management series guide on hospital safety and resilience to natural disasters.

Report providing information on ways to incentivize funding of hazard mitigation programs.

A website by the U.S. DOE highlighting the potential energy savings from upgrading energy inefficient windows with low-emissivity.

Article in the SIPA Technical Bulletin (No. 11) comparing the earthquake resistance of light-frame wood shear wall construction to residential construction with structural insulated panels (SIPS).

Information sheet briefly summarizing double stud wall construction including the advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.

Information sheet briefly summarizing double stud with spray foam wall construction including the advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.

Information sheet briefly summarizing truss wall construction including the advantages and disadvantages of this construction strategy.

Report on high-R wall design called extended plate and beam that uses foam sheathing insulation with wall framing.

A fact sheet on how to prepare for a natural disaster by storing food and water through an emergency food supply.

Website article touring areas hit hardest by tornadoes to see how they are building differently to protect against the next big twister.

Guide providing information on using exterior foam insulating sheathing in building wall assemblies to enhance thermal performance.

Document providing supplemental information for code enforcement professionals about header hangers in bearing walls.

Brochure describing advanced framing techniques.

Brochure describing advanced framing techniques.

Guide discussing observations, recommendations, and technical guidance as a result of Hurricane Katrina

A document aimed at reducing the vulnerability of a gable end roof to wind damage in a hurricane.

NOAA webpage providing images and short descriptions of different types of hurricane shutters.

Research study describing the impact resistance performance of advanced framed wall systems with insulating sheathing as the primary sheathing from wind blown debris.

An impact test report from projectile missile tests against brick veneer, verifying that brick veneers perform well to resisting hurricane force wind driven debris.

Siding installation guide for Ply Gem Siding Group products.

Report on two approaches to retrofitting existing double-stud walls.

FEMA Mitigation Assessment Team Report describing damages from Hurricane Michael in Florida in Oct. 2018 and recommendations for future hurricane preparedness.