Library | Building America Solution Center

Showing 1 - 50 of 109 results:

2009 International Building Code - IBC

2017

International Code Council

ICC

2009 edition of code for commercial buildings that brings together all structural, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, energy and electrical provisions for all buildings except detached one- and two-family residences and townhouses up to three stories.

2009 International Fuel Gas Code - IFGC

2017

International Code Council

ICC

2009 edition of code establishing a baseline for the design and installation of fuel gas systems and gas fired appliances through performance requirements.

2009 International Residential Code - IRC

2017

International Code Council

ICC

2009 edition of code for residential buildings that creates minimum regulations for one- and two-family dwellings of three stories or less, bringing together all building, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, energy and electrical provisions for one- and two-family residences.

2009 Supplement to the 2007 Florida Building Code

2009

International Code Council

ICC

Building code for the state of Florida.

2017 Florida Building Code – Building, Sixth Edition

2017

International Code Council,

Florida Building Commission

ICC,

FBC

Florida building code including all the amendments and additions by Florida for the wind-borne debris regions and the high-velocity hurricane zone.

2018 International Building Code - IBC a Compilation of Flood Resistant Provisions

2017

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Document describing portions of the flood provisions from the 2018 editions of the IBC, IRC, IEBC, IMC, IPC, IFGC, IFC, ISPSC, IPSDC, and ICC Performance Code.

5 Ways to Protect Your Home From Wildfires

2017

McGuigan Connor

Sierra Club

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.

7 Reasons to Mulch Your Garden As Soon As Possible

2017

One Green Planet

Article describing seven reasons to mulch gardens.

A Methodology for Calculating Cooling from Vegetation Evapotranspiration for use in Urban Space Microclimate Simulations

2017

Gkatsopoulos Panagiotis

National Technical University of Athens

Paper describing a proposed method for quantifying tree and vegetation evapotranspiration effects on city climate

A Thermally Broken Steel Connection

2017

West Chris

Journal of Light Construction,

JLC

Article describing methods for thermally isolating a garage in a Passive House-certified multifamily building.

ACCA Manual T - Air Distribution Basics

2009

Air Conditioning Contractors of America

ACCA

Standard providing guidance on how to select, size, and locate the supply air diffusers, grilles and registers, and the return grilles.

AIA Disaster Assistance Handbook, Third Edition

2017

American Institute of Architects

AIA

Report describing the experience gained from AIA’s Disaster Assistance Program with first-hand accounts of disaster response and recovery, case studies and other best practices, including approaches to designing buildings to be more adaptable to uncertainty.

An Experimental Analysis of the Impact of Tree Shade on Electricity Consumption

2009

Laband David N,

Sophocleus John P

International Society of Arboriculture

Paper describing an experiment to quantify shade tree impacts on cooling-related electricity consumption, finding that there may be sizable benefits in hot regions.

ASCE Ground Snow Loads

2017

Wilkerson

Medeek Design

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.

Basement Insulation, Info 511

2009

Building Science Corporation

BSC

Information sheet describing techniques for insulating basements.

Benefits of Demand-Controlled Pumping

2009

Acker Larry,

Klein Gary

Home Energy Magazine,

Taco Comfort

Article describing how demand plumbing systems send cold water back to the water heater until hot water arrives at the sink, shower or other fixture where it is needed.

BPVC Code Cases: Boilers and Pressure Vessels, BPVC.CC.BPV-2017

2017

American Society of Mechanical Engineers

ASME

Code establishing the rules of safety relating only to pressure integrity for the design, fabrication, and inspection of boilers and pressure vessels during construction which was published in the year 2017 and is available to order at the referenced link.

Build A Better Home: Moisture-Resistant Roof Construction

2017

APA - The Engineered Wood Association

American Plywood Association,

APA

Report providing water management details for roof assemblies.

Builder's Guide to Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)

2009

Lukachko Alex

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Presentation describing details for installing structural insulated panels (SIPs).

Building Thermal Performance, Extreme Heat, and Climate Change

2017

Nahlik Matthew J.,

et al.

American Society of Civil Engineers,

ASCE

Article published by American Society of Civil Engineers on different building types and their effectiveness resisting extreme heat from a building envelope perspective.

Climate Research

2017

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOAA

Website providing weather data.

Climate Science Special Report 4th National Climate Assessment Vol 1

2017

U.S. Global Change Research Program

USGCRP,

Climate Science Special Report,

CSSR

Report assessing the science of climate change with a focus on the U.S.

Clothes Dryers

2017

ENERGY STAR

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

EPA,

ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR clothes dryer buying guidance for consumers.

Double Wall: Staggered or In-Line Studs?

2009

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,

Steven Winter Associates

CARB,

SWA

Information sheet providing information about investigating the thermal effect of staggering the inner and outer wall studs on double walls in new construction.

Drainage Plane/Water Resistive Barrier, Info-301

2009

Building Science Corporation

BSC

Brochure describing drainage planes, also referred to as water resistive barriers.

EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2009

2009

U.S. Energy Information Administration

EIA

Federal statistics about national energy consumption in residential homes.

Energy Flow Across Enclosures, BSI-028

2009

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Discussion of structural thermal resistance.

Energy Saver: Laundry

2017

U.S. Department of Energy

DOE

DOE's consumer information about energy and laundry.

ETW: Building Profile: New - Albuquerque New Mexico

2009

Building Science Corporation

BSC

Information sheet with details on a building enclosure designed for Albuquerque, NM, as an example for building enclosures built for hot-dry and mixed-dry climates.

FDOT Drainage Handbook - Drainage Connection Permits

2017

Florida Department of Transportation

FDOT

Handbook describing the permitting process regulating the transfer of stormwater from private property owners to the State of Florida Department of Transportation stormwater drainage systems.

FEMA Avoiding Hurricane Damage: Action Items for Homeowners

2017

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Fact sheet describing how to prepare for hurricane season and mitigate damage from floods and high winds.

FEMA Engineering With Nature - Alternative Techniques to Riprap Bank Stabilization

2009

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Document explores alternatives to riprap on banks and waterways to mitigate bankside erosion in the Pacific Northwest.

FEMA How to Prepare for a Winter Storm

2017

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Fact sheet providing an overview of how to properly prepare for a winter storm and how to protect yourself before, during, and after one.

Fire Network: Windows Vulnerabilities

2009

University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources

UCANR,

University of California Cooperative Extension

A report showing what happens when windows break as a result of temperature differences between the inside and outside of the home, as well as code standards for the State of California regarding window exposure to wildfires.

Fire Protection of Facades

2017

Marija Jelčić Rukavina,

Milan Carević,

Ivana Banjad Pečur

University of Zagreb

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.

FORTIFIED Home Eligibility Requirements—Foundations - Eligibility Requirements and Retrofit Requirements for Elevated-Floor (Not Slab-on-Grade) Houses

2017

Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety

IBHS

Checklist intending to clarify FORTIFIED Home™ eligibility requirements that relate to a home’s foundation.

FORTIFIED Home Gable End Overhang: Existing Homes Only - Retrofit for Ladder Framed Gable Overhang 12–18 in. Depth

2017

Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety

IBHS

Checklist providing prescriptive instructions on how to retrofit ladder framing on gable end overhangs to achieve a maximum depth of 18 in. from the face of the wall.

FORTIFIED Home Roof Flashing

2017

Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety

IBHS

Fact sheet instructing installers about flashing installed on a FORTIFIED roof and points to roof covering manufacturers for flashing installation instructions.

Great Fire of London, BSI–098

2017

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Report covering the fire performance of combustible cladding over combustible insulation.

GREENGUARD Certification for Paints and Coatings

2009

GREENGUARD Environmental Institute

Standard describing GREENGUARD Emission Criteria for use with GREENGUARD Certification Program for Low Emitting Products.

Guide to Good Leak Testing

2009

Institute of Refrigeration

IOR,

Carbon Trust

Guide describing refrigeration leaks, including common leak points, how to fix them, and how to prevent them.

Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades

2009

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

National Service Center for Environmental Publications

EPA,

NSCEP

Guidance for achieving safe and healthy indoor environments during home energy retrofits.

High-R Roofs Case Study Analysis, BA-1006

2009

Straube John,

Grin Aaron

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Report that considers a number of promising wall systems that can meet the requirement for better thermal control.

How to Destroy a Wall in Two Easy Steps

2017

Parlee Mark

Journal of Light Construction

Article describing how omission of two small but critical wall details, a kick-out flashing and a weep screed, lead to extensive water damage to a wall.

Humidity Control: Supplemental Dehumidification in Hot-Humid Climates

2017

Home Innovation Research Labs,

National Association of Home Builders,

International Code Council

HIRL,

NAHB,

ICC

Fact Sheet describing the need for supplemental dehumidification, dehumidifier configuration options, and design considerations.

Hybrid Assemblies, BSI-100

2017

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Article describing issues with condensation in unvented attics insulated with open-cell spray foam.

Indirect/Passive Air-Flow Systems

2009

Kang Bhujon,

Lutz-Carillo Sky

University of Texas

Report detailing natural ventilation and passive airflow systems.

Insight Rebuilding Houston “Wash and Wear Buildings”, BSI-101

2017

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Article from Building Science Corporation explaining 'wash and wear buildings' that are designed to be flooded and washed out afterwards.

Installation Guide for Rolled Erosion Control Products (RECPs) Including Mulch Control Nettings (MCNs), Open Weave Textiles (OWTs), Erosion Control Blankets (ECBs), and Turf Reinforcement Mats (TRMs)

2017

Erosion Control Technology Council

ECTC

Report providing general guidelines for the installation of rolled erosion control products.

Inward Drive – Outward Drying, BSI-061

2017

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Report covering reservoir claddings, back ventilation and vapor throttles.