Library

Information sheet providing details on the vapor permeance of different types of materials used in building assemblies.

Broschure detailing water control strategies for building openings (e.g., vents and drainpipes).

Research study examining the effective moisture penetration depth (EMPD) model and its suitability for building simulations.

Research study searching for combinations of existing technologies that could enable a minimally invasive, cost-competitive, easily deployable method of upgrading soil-side foundation insulation in existing buildings.

Expert Meeting about interior insulation retrofit of mass masonry wall assemblies held on July 30, 2011.

Article describing methods to manage moisture, rainwater, and vapor in basements and crawlspaces.

Handbook providing guidance on the design and construction of foundations for homes, including insulation, air sealing, and water management details for basements, crawlspaces, and slabs.

Research study presenting results of an existing home monitoring project designed to measure wall cavity moisture characteristics.

Report covering control of hydrostatic pressure in wall assemblies.

Blog entry describing methods for insulating basement walls on the interior or exterior.

Report exploring four questions to determine the level of risk associated with adding drained exterior insulation to the exterior of an existing home during an energy retrofit.

Report focusing on managing the driving forces that move air and water vapor across the building envelope.

Guidebook providing useful examples of high performance retrofit techniques for the building enclosure of wood frame residential construction in a cold and somewhat wet climate.

Document describing good practices for insulating basements in new and existing homes.

Document providing information on basement insulation, air sealing and water management retrofits.

Report summarizing the importance of properly insulating and air sealing masonry walls, providing step by step instructions and approaches.

Report describing the work conducted for high performance hybrid assemblies.

Report about exterior sheathing insulation and inward driven moisture issues.

Report explaining moisture-related concerns for high R-value wall assemblies and discusses past Building America research work that informs this study.

Report covering wind loading on roofing assemblies.

Research report describing study of exterior retrofit approach for air sealing, insulating, and water management conducted by the NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership team run by University of Minnesota.

How hard can it be to insulate a flat sheet of concrete? I mean you only have three choices – on the top, on the bottom, or on the edge. OK, you might have some combination of the three as well.

Presentation describing the challenges of insulating an existing basement, presented to the Building America residential energy-efficiency stakeholder meeting.

Report describing filtration, distillation, and disinfection methods of water treatment.

Report summarizing current research, summarizes issues that have been experienced with current best practices, and recommends ways in which the best practices can be improved for water managing sheathings.

Manual showing how to properly use grass swales to manage excess water runoff.