Library | Building America Solution Center

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 - 21 of 21

Characterization of Framing Factors for Low-Rise Residential Building Envelopes in California

Author(s)

California Energy Commission,

Enermodal Engineering Limited

Organization(s)

CEC,

EEL

Publication Date

December, 2001

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...

Interference Effects on Wind Loads on Low-Rise Hip Roof Buildings

Author(s)

Ahmad Shakeel,

Kumar Krishen

Organization(s)

Aligarh Muslim University,

University of Roorkee

Publication Date

December, 2001

Article describing how the configuration of surrounding buildings affects the wind loads on a hip roof in a low-rise building.

Costs and Benefits of Insulating Concrete Forms for Residential Construction

Author(s)

National Association of Home Builders Research Center,

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,

Office of Policy Development and Research,

Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing

Organization(s)

NAHB Research Center,

HUD,

PDR,

PATH

Publication Date

November, 2001

Information sheet with construction details, pros and cons of insulated concrete forms.

Air Infiltration from Attached Garages in Canadian Houses

Author(s)

Fugler Don

Organization(s)

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation,

CMHC,

Environment Canada,

Health Canada,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Publication Date

October, 2001

Document reporting results from a study done to evaluate effects of automotive emissions from attached garages on the indoor environment.

Termite Damaged Weatherboard

Author(s)

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

Organization(s)

CSIRO

Publication Date

October, 2001

Image depicting damage from termites in weatherboard cladding.

Brick, Stucco, Housewrap and Building Paper, RR-0105

Author(s)

Lstiburek Joseph W

Organization(s)

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Publication Date

September, 2001

Research study discussing how housewraps restrict or permit the passage of water molecules based on size, but cannot control the direction in which the water vapor molecules move.

A Community Guide to Factory-Built Housing

Author(s)

Steven Winter Associates

Organization(s)

SWA

Publication Date

September, 2001

Document describing advancement in factory built housing innovations.

Thermal Protection in Recessed Luminaires

Author(s)

Pierce Jim

Organization(s)

Independent Alliance of the Electrical Industry,

IAEI

Publication Date

July, 2001

Article on thermal protectors in recessed light fixtures.

Retrofit of Unreinforced Masonry Buildings: The State-of-the-Art

Author(s)

Korany Yasser,

Drysdale Robert,

Chidiac Samir

Organization(s)

Department of Civil Engineering,

McMaster University

Publication Date

June, 2001

Technical paper covering the retrofit of unreinforced masonry buildings.

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

April, 2001

A research paper exploring the installation and mounting of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on rooftops and the challenges faced by system designers and installers.

Building Radon Out - A Step-by-Step Guide On How To Build Radon-Resistant Homes

Author(s)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Organization(s)

EPA

Publication Date

April, 2001

Document detailing how to build radon-resistant homes.

Effects of Tilt and Azimuth on Annual Incident Solar Radiation for United States Locations

Author(s)

Christensen Craig B,

Barker Greg M

Organization(s)

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL,

Mountain Energy Partnership

Publication Date

April, 2001

Study presenting generalized results regarding the effect of surface orientation on annual incident solar radiation for locations in the United States.

Reducing the Costs of Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Systems: Proceedings of Solar Forum 2001

Author(s)

Dunlop James P,

Szaro Jennifer,

Farhi Brian,

Ventre Gerard

Organization(s)

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC

Publication Date

April, 2001

A report presenting alternative approaches for reducing the costs of roof-mounted, grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems.

Attached Garages and Indoor Air Quality

Author(s)

Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre

Organization(s)

AIVC

Publication Date

March, 2001

Report describing information for builders and retrofitters about eliminating hazards and coincidental energy losses that come from attached garages.

A New Approach to Ventilation of High Rise Apartments

Author(s)

Handegord Gustav O

Organization(s)

Ontario Building Envelope Council

Publication Date

February, 2001

Paper discussing innovative strategies for improving ventilation systems in high-rise apartment buildings, focusing on compartmentalization and controlling stack effect pressures to enhance indoor air quality and energy efficiency published in the Proceedings of the Eighth Conference on Building...

Guidelines for Ventilating Attics and Cathedral Ceilings to Avoid Icings at Their Eaves

Author(s)

Tobiasson Wayne N,

Buska James S,

Greatorex Alan R

Organization(s)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

ORNL,

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Publication Date

January, 2001

Report describing the use of fresh air ventilation systems to eliminate the formation of icicles and ice dams along the eaves of roofs.

Healthy and Affordable Housing: Practical Recommendations for Building, Renovating and Maintaining Housing

Author(s)

Brennan Terry,

Lstiburek Joseph W

Organization(s)

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Publication Date

January, 2001

Document providing guidance about building healthy homes using building science principles.

Why We Need to Know More About Basement Moisture

Author(s)

Cheple Marilou,

Huelman Patrick H

Organization(s)

University of Minnesota,

UMN,

American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers,

ASHRAE,

NorthernSTAR,

NSTAR,

Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

ORNL

Publication Date

January, 2001

Conference paper presented at the 8th International Conference on Thermal Performance of Exterior Envelopes of Whole Buildings describing moisture from basements and crawlspaces as a source of indoor humidity and providing recommendations for finishing below-grade spaces to limit potential indoor...

Thermal Mass and Its Effect on the Whole Building Energy Performance, Part I and II

Author(s)

Kosny Jan

Organization(s)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

ORNL

Publication Date

January, 2001

Report sumarizing a workshop to initiate a professional discussion about eventual benefits of the application of massive technologies in US buildings.

Is Your Home Protected From Earthquake Disaster? A Homeowner’s Guide to Earthquake Retrofit

Author(s)

Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety

Organization(s)

IBHS

Publication Date

January, 2001

Document from IBHS explaining how to inspect homes for earthquake preparedness and retrofit solutions for homes that have suffered structural damage as a result of earthquakes.

Resistance of Exterior Walls to High Velocity Projectiles

Author(s)

Kashuba Scott D,

Kuzik Mark D,

Hatzinikolas Michael A

Organization(s)

Canadian Masonry Research Institute,

CMPA

Publication Date

January, 2001

Report describing the testing of various siding materials for their ability to resist bullets from small firearms.