Skip to main content

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 108

2015 Fortified Home High Wind Technical Summary

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and 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 New Homes.

2015 I-Codes: Summary of Changes to Flood Provisions

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Fact sheet summarizing the changes to the flood provisions in the 2012 I-Codes that appear in the 2015 edition.

2017 Florida Building Code – Building, Sixth Edition

Author(s)
International Code Council,
Florida Building Commission
Organization(s)
ICC,
FBC
Publication Date
Florida building code including all the amendments and additions by Florida for the wind-borne debris regions and the high-velocity hurricane zone.

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.

2020 Fortified Home Standard Detail Set High Wind

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.

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.

5 Ways to Protect Your Home From Wildfires

Author(s)
McGuigan Connor
Organization(s)
Sierra Club
Publication Date
Article from the Sierra Club explaining 5 steps to take to ensure your home's resistance to wildfires, including site maintenance and roof construction guidelines.

A Practical Guide to Cool Roofs and Cool Pavements

Author(s)
Global Cool Cities Alliance,
R20 Regions of Climate Action
Organization(s)
GCCA,
R20
Publication Date
Guide developed to help contractors, building operators, and city officials successfully adopt cool roof and pavement technology.

APA Building for High Wind Resistance in Light-Frame Wood Construction

Author(s)
APA - The Engineered Wood Association
Organization(s)
American Plywood Association,
APA
Publication Date
A publication highlighting recommendations that contribute to improved overall performance in the structural shell and focus on good connection details to tie together exterior walls, roofs and floors.

ASCE Ground Snow Loads

Author(s)
Wilkerson
Organization(s)
Medeek Design
Publication Date
Webpage providing mapping tool for obtaining ground snow load, based on ASCE 7-10, for any location in the contiguous United States, with the exception of locations requiring a case study due to extreme local variations in ground snow loads. Fee required for some data.

Asphalt Shingle Roofing for High-Wind Regions, FEMA Technical Fact Sheet No. 7.3

Author(s)
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Technical fact sheet describing ways to construct asphalt shingle roofs to be more resistant to high winds and hurricanes; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Chimney Failure Most Common Damage In An Earthquake

Author(s)
Tucker Jill
Organization(s)
SFGate
Publication Date
News article from SFGate explaining and giving figures on how chimney failure is the most common type of damage to homes during an earthquake.

Cool Colored Materials for Roofs

Author(s)
Akbari Hashem,
Levinson Ronnen,
Wiel Stephen,
Miller William,
Jenkins Nancy,
Rosenfeld Arthur,
Scruton Chris,
Desjarlais Andre O
Organization(s)
California Energy Commission,
CEC,
Public Interest Energy Research Program,
PIER,
Laboratory Directed Research and Development,
LDRD,
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
LBNL
Publication Date
Study describing efforts and outcomes in developing color-pigmented roofing products with coatings to increase solar reflectance.

Cool Roofs

Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
Organization(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
EPA,
ENERGY STAR
Publication Date
ENERGY STAR webpage discussing the costs and benefits of cool roofs.

Cool Roofs Help Reduce Energy Costs

Author(s)
ENERGY STAR
Organization(s)
ENERGY STAR,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
EPA
Publication Date
Web page providing information on the types of cool roofs and their benefits to consumers.

Cool Surfaces Savings Explorer

Author(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Organization(s)
LBNL
Publication Date
Tool developed by LBNL to calculate potential savings from increasing wall and roof solar reflectance.

Cooling Related Performance of Finished and Unfinished Metal Roofing Systems

Author(s)
Parker Danny S,
Sonne Jeffrey K,
Sherwin John S
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Study reporting the results of comparative testing of the effect of finished and unfinished metal roofing systems on cooling energy performance in a test facility.

Dealing with and preventing ice dams

Author(s)
University of Minnesota Extension
Organization(s)
University of Minnesota
Publication Date
Webpage explaining what causes the formation of ice dams on roofs and steps to take to prevent them.

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.

Discussion of Strategies for Mounting Photovoltaic Arrays on Rooftops

Author(s)
Barkaszi Stephen F,
Dunlop James P
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
A research paper exploring the installation and mounting of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on rooftops and the challenges faced by system designers and installers.

Flexible Roofing Facility: 2001 Summer Test Results

Author(s)
Parker Danny S,
Sonne Jeffrey K,
Sherwin John S
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC
Publication Date
Study reporting the results of comparative testing of the effect of various roof types on cooling energy performance in a test facility.

Florida High Wind Concrete and Clay Tile Installation Manual, 5th Edition

Author(s)
Tile Roofing Institute
Organization(s)
TRI,
Florida Roofing Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors Association Inc.,
FRSA
Publication Date
Manual for proper installation practices, industry standards and the code requirements of roofing tiles for the Florida market.

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.

FORTIFIED Home Corrosion-Resistant Fasteners - New Documentation Requirements

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Checklist highlighting the requirement for metal structural connections and materials fasteners used to retrofit or construct FORTIFIED buildings less than 3,000 ft from saltwater to be suitably protected from corrosion.

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 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 - 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.

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.

FORTIFIED Home Roof Coverings - Design Pressure Guidance for Roof Coverings

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Checklist highlighting key concepts of wind design uplift pressures and design uplift pressure ratings for proper selection and installation of residential roof covering systems to comply with section R905.1 of the 2015 International Residential Code for a FORTIFIED Roof™–New Roof designation.

FORTIFIED Home Roof Flashing

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Fact sheet instructing installers about flashing installed on a FORTIFIED roof and points to roof covering manufacturers for flashing installation instructions.