Organization(s)
CRRC
Publication Date
Description
Web page explaining what a cool exterior wall is and how they work, as well as benefits to their use and links to research studies.
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 55
Organization(s)
LBNL
Publication Date
Description
LBNL webpage introducing heat island effect and cool materials concepts, and providing links to LBNL pages explaining cool pavements, cool roofs, and cool walls.
Organization(s)
CRRC
Publication Date
Description
Searchable database of wall cladding and coating products that have undergone solar reflectance and thermal emittance testing.
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Description
List of recommendations from IBHS on how to protect homes from ice dam formation.
Organization(s)
LSU Ag Center Research Extension
Publication Date
Description
Web article describing many ways homeowners, contractors, and builders can make homes more resistant to hurricanes, tornadoes, high winds, floods, and hail.
Organization(s)
ICC Evaluation Service
Publication Date
Description
ICC-ES Evaluation Report reviewing proprietary steel shear wall panels developed by Simpson Strong-Tie Company to resist vertical and lateral loads in walls resulting from wind or earthquakes.
Organization(s)
LASFM
Publication Date
Description
Site showing flame spread ratings and definitions for common building materials.
Organization(s)
SIPA
Publication Date
Description
Test results used by multiple structural insulated panel manufacturers confirming a one-hour fire rating for specific SIP assemblies.
Organization(s)
Odice
Publication Date
Description
An example of a commercially available thermally expansive fire stopping product for controlling the spread of fires in a rainscreen cavity.
Organization(s)
Home Construction and Improvement
Publication Date
Description
A article about the best practice method of installing fiber cement siding, to install flashing at the butt joints of the siding boards, rather than face caulking the butt joints afterwards.
Organization(s)
Siding Cost Guide
Publication Date
Description
A starting point for ballparking and comparing the cost of different siding materials and a brief overview of the pros and cons of different siding materials.
Organization(s)
BSSC,
NIBS,
FEMA,
NEHRP
Publication Date
Description
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.
Organization(s)
Florida Solar Energy Center,
FSEC,
University of Central Florida,
UCF
Publication Date
Description
Study investigating measured cooling energy savings from the installation of wall finishes with higher solar reflectance.
Organization(s)
FLASH
Publication Date
Description
Report providing architects, designers, and homeowners with information to make house plans useful for constructing a more wind resilient structure.
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Guide provides homeowners ways to prepare for an earthquake and protect a home against earthquake damage.
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Technical bulletin describing National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements for flood openings in foundation walls and walls of enclosures below elevated buildings.
Organization(s)
CEA
Publication Date
Description
Article from California Earthquake Authority on the benefits of retrofitting homes to withstand earthquake forces, with a focus on foundations, walls, and chimneys.
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
FEMA Mitigation Assessment Team Report describing damages from Hurricane Michael in Florida in Oct. 2018 and recommendations for future hurricane preparedness.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report covering the rainwater performance of building assemblies.
Organization(s)
American Plywood Association,
APA
Publication Date
Description
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.
Organization(s)
EXtension Home Energy - Cooperative Extension
Publication Date
Description
Article from The Home Energy Community of Practice on designing energy efficient homes in hot climate zones, including home orientation, window location, and roof design considerations.
Organization(s)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
LBNL
Publication Date
Description
Large scale simulation study investigating the effects of cool roofs and walls on buildings of various vintages across the U.S., with special attention given to California.
Organization(s)
Fox News
Publication Date
Description
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.
Organization(s)
HIRL,
NAHB
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet describing design and construction practices to reduce the likelihood of water intrusion in walls and foundations in residential construction.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report covering the reconstruction of flood damaged homes.
Organization(s)
Polyguard
Publication Date
Description
An article describing a way to protect drain and ventilation holes in brick veneer siding against pests. Selecting a fine screen mesh opening (1/55-inch or 0.5-mm) is important to guard against small insects such as subterranean termites.
Organization(s)
University of Zagreb
Publication Date
Description
A guide for designers, architects, engineers, and fire experts on how to design rainscreen and ventilated cavities such that they don’t contribute to the spread of a fire.
Organization(s)
Edition Diffusion Presse Sciences,
EDP Sciences
Publication Date
Description
A study on how fires spread through exterior building envelopes with discussion on how fires propagate in a rain screen cavity.
Organization(s)
BEMMI
Publication Date
Description
A presentation about the need for rainscreens including the damage water and moisture ingress into a home’s siding and framing can cause, and ways to design a resilient wall that drains and ventilates well.
Organization(s)
The Building Consultant
Publication Date
Description
An article illustrating common errors found in fiber cement siding installations. Many of these errors and poor flashing examples apply to siding materials beyond fiber cement siding.
Organization(s)
Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,
ARBI,
Davis Energy Group,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Article from NREL on wall construction guidelines for homes in hot climate zones.
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
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.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Measure Guideline research report providing simple, long term, and durable solutions when using tapes and flashing membranes in conjunction with the exterior face of rigid polymeric foam sheathing to create the drainage plane of a wall system.
Organization(s)
North Dakota State University,
NDSU
Publication Date
Description
Webpage explaining how to mitigate heat loss through roofs for ice dam prevention.
Organization(s)
University of Hawaii College of Engineering
Publication Date
Description
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.
Organization(s)
Florida Division of Emergency Management
Publication Date
Description
Report describing the hurricane retrofit guide with focus on walls and wooded framed walls.
Organization(s)
Florida Division of Emergency Management
Publication Date
Description
A hurricane retrofit guide describing techniques for strengthening roof-to-wall connections for family homes.
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report that considers a number of promising wall systems that can meet the requirement for better thermal control.
Organization(s)
City of Verona,
WI Building Department,
State of Wisconsin
Publication Date
Description
Document describing wall bracing techniques and suggestions for the city of Verona, WI building department.
Organization(s)
NAHB
Publication Date
Description
Guide detailing best practices on how to build wall assemblies with absorptive claddings such as brick, stone that drain and dry well.
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
Report providing a collection of fact sheets describing guidance for constructing homes in wildfire zones.
Organization(s)
International Code Council,
ICC
Publication Date
Description
A guide describing how to do wall bracing calculations and evaluations.
Organization(s)
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Guide providing information on using exterior foam insulating sheathing in building wall assemblies to enhance thermal performance.
Organization(s)
Wisconsin Focus on Energy,
ENERGY STAR
Publication Date
Description
Fact sheet from Wisconsin Focus on Energy explaining how to prevent future ice dams on homes by learning about their formation and mitigation of contributing factors.
Organization(s)
Florida Building Code
Publication Date
Description
Code describing the requirements for existing site-built single-family homes to receive roof-to-wall retrofits when re-roofing.
Organization(s)
Canada Masonry Design Centre,
CMDC
Publication Date
Description
An impact test report from projectile missile tests against brick veneer, verifying that brick veneers perform well to resisting hurricane force wind driven debris.
Organization(s)
FEMA
Publication Date
Description
FEMA mitigation assessment team report following Hurricane Charley in Florida including observations, recommendations, and technical guidance for retrofitting hurricane-damaged homes.
Organization(s)
City of Los Angeles
Publication Date
Description
Report describing ways to retrofit a home to make it more resistant to earthquakes.
Organization(s)
Journal of Light Construction,
JLC
Publication Date
Description
An article written by Don Jackson of The Journal of Light Construction on how to detail brick veneer siding wall.
Organization(s)
American Society of Heating,
American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers,
ASHRAE
Publication Date
Description
A report that evaluates the force it takes to crack stucco of various thicknesses.