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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 601 - 650 of 799

Rocks Don’t Burn, BSI–068

Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report covering non-combustible continuous exterior insulation and non-combustible roof venting.

Roof Sheathing Installation, FEMA Technical Fact Sheet No. 7.1

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing proper roof sheathing installation and illustrating fastening methods that will enhance the durability of a building in high-wind areas; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Rooftop Solar Panel Attachment: Design, Installation, and Maintenance - Hurricane Irma and Maria in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Recovery advisory guide providing guidance on existing code requirements as well as recommend best practices for attachment design, installation, and maintenance of rooftop solar panels to increase panel wind resistance in the U.S. Virgin Islands after Hurricane Maria.

Safe Room Funding

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
FEMA information on safe room funding to regional governments.

Safe Room Resources, FEMA P-388 CD

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
A CD guide intended to help communities mitigate damage or loss from tornadoes and other extremewind events, and provide public information resources for conveying the importance of safe room construction.

Safety: Excess Flow Valves

Author(s)
Pacific Gas & Electric
Organization(s)
PG&E
Publication Date
Brochure for utility customers describing installation of an excess flow valve to automatically shut off natural gas flow into a home in the event of a gas line rupture.

San Francisco's Big Seismic Gamble

Author(s)
Fuller Thomas,
Singhvi Anjali,
Williams Josh
Organization(s)
New York Times
Publication Date
Article describing San Francisco and how impending seismic activity may affect modern skyscrapers.

Science of Cool Roofs

Author(s)
CoolCalifornia
Organization(s)
California Air Resources Board
Publication Date
Webpage discussing the characteristics of sunlight and how cool roofs work to reduce solar heat gain.

Securing Your Water Heater

Author(s)
Washington State Department of Health
Organization(s)
Washington State Department of Health
Publication Date
A fact sheet providing homeowners with guidance on properly securing water heaters to prevent them from tipping in an earthquake.

Seismic Building Code Provisions for New Buildings to Create Safer Communities - Earthquake Resistance Through Building Codes

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency,
National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program
Organization(s)
FEMA,
NEHRP
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing improvements in the earthquake resistance of residential and commercial new construction through the adoption into the International Residential Code of seismic provisions including those developed by the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP).

Seismic Building Codes

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Website providing links to building codes, seismic codes, code enforcement, safe buildings, and seismic retrofitting.

Seismic Design Map

Author(s)
Structural Engineers Association of California,
California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development
Organization(s)
SEAOC,
OSHPD
Publication Date
Web-based tool that uses the USGS web services to retrieve seismic design data and presents it in a report format.

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.

Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Existing Buildings, ASCE/SEI 41-13

Author(s)
American Society of Civil Engineers
Organization(s)
ASCE
Publication Date
Standard using deficiency-based and systematic procedures that use performance-based principles to evaluate and retrofit existing buildings to withstand the effects of earthquakes.

Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Existing Buildings, ASCE/SEI 41-17

Author(s)
American Society of Civil Engineers
Organization(s)
ASCE
Publication Date
Standard using deficiency-based and systematic procedures that use performance-based principles to evaluate and retrofit existing buildings to withstand the effects of earthquakes. The current version of this standard was published in the year 2017, and is available in both digital and print...

Seismic Gas Shut-Off Valve Requirements

Author(s)
City of Malibu
Organization(s)
City of Malibu
Publication Date
Fact sheet for natural gas customers describing city’s seismic gas shut-off valve requirements.

Seismic Retrofit Training For Building Contractors and Inspectors Participant Handbook

Author(s)
McCormick Timothy P
Organization(s)
Woodward Clyde Federal Services and the Hazard Mitigation Technical Assistance Partnership,
City of Los Angeles,
Structural Engineers Association of Southern California,
SEAOSC
Publication Date
Report seeking to teach building contractors and building inspectors the correct methods for doing typical seismic retrofits that have been designed by an engineer or architect or described in a prescriptive standard.

Seismic Retrofitting

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

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.

Seismic Safety: Gas Shutoff Devices, SB-1898

Author(s)
California Legislative Information
Organization(s)
California Legislative Information
Publication Date
Description of California Senate Bill SB 1898, which requires the sale of new seismic gas shutoff devices sold in California to be certified by the State Architect.

Selecting a Lot and Siting the Building, FEMA Technical Fact Sheet No. 2.2

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Fact sheet describing guidance concerning lot selection and building siting considerations for coastal residential buildings, including factors that constrain siting decisions, coastal setback lines, common siting problems, and suggestions for builders, designers, and owners; also published in FEMA...

SelecTree: A Tree Selection Guide

Author(s)
Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute,
California Polytechnic State University
Organization(s)
UFEI,
Cal Poly
Publication Date
Website tool that can search for trees by name or characteristics and retrieve data describing tree attributes including site preferences and general characteristics and considerations.

Severe Weather Fire Safety

Author(s)
U.S. Fire Administration,
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
U.S. Fire Administration,
FEMA
Publication Date
Description webpage providing information about home fire safety during sever weather for consumers.

Siding Cost.org

Author(s)
sidingcost.org
Organization(s)
sidingcost.org
Publication Date
Website providing the pros and cons of different siding materials for home building, including wood, vinyl, fiber cement, stucco, brick, metal, and stone.

Sizing and Building a Battery Bank

Author(s)
Global Technology and Information Services
Organization(s)
SIL International,
GTIS
Publication Date
Web page describing the basics of how to size and build a battery bank for electricity storage.

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.

Small Wind Site Assessment Guidelines

Author(s)
Olsen Tim,
Preus Robert
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Technical report providing site selection guidance for installation of small wind turbines.

Snow Load Safety Guide, FEMA P-957

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Report informing building stakeholders about the risks a snow event poses to their buildings, preventative measures to take before the snow season, and actions that should be taken before, during, and after a snow event.

Snow Loads

Author(s)
Wilkerson
Organization(s)
Medeek Design
Publication Date
Webpage providing information about design snow loads and a free interactive ground snow load mapping tool for the contiguous United States, as well as snow load calculation methods.

Snow Loads: Guide to the Snow Load Provisions of ASCE 7-16

Author(s)
O'Rourke Michael
Organization(s)
American Society of Civil Engineers,
ASCE
Publication Date
Guide providing detailed explanations of the snow load provisions contained in Standard ASCE/SEI 7-16: Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures.

Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) and Snow Course Data and Products

Author(s)
Natural Resources Conservation Service,
National Water and Climate Center,
Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Program
Organization(s)
NRCS,
NWCC,
SSWSF
Publication Date
The website by U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) National Water and Climate Center tracks snowpack sensor stations at multiple sites across the country providing an interactive US map of snow loads.

Solar Radiation Data Manual for Buildings

Author(s)
Marion William,
Wilcox Stephen
Organization(s)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Document providing incident solar radiation data and window overhang sizing guidance for multiple locations across the U.S.

Solar Water Heaters

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Energy
Organization(s)
DOE
Publication Date
Website describing how solar water heaters -- also called solar domestic hot water systems -- can be a cost-effective way to generate hot water for your home.

Sprinkler Insulation

Author(s)
Merrifield Brian
Organization(s)
Fire Protection Research Foundation,
FPRF,
National Fire Protection Association,
NFPA
Publication Date
Literature review from NFPA on the use of insulation to protect the piping in home fire sprinkler systems from freezing conditions.

SRI Calculator

Author(s)
Levinson Ronnen
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
LBNL
Publication Date
Spreadsheet tool that computes solar reflectance index (SRI) and roof surface temperature based on solar reflectance and thermal emittance using ASTM standard E 1980.