HVAC and the Envelope: Towards New Rules of Thumb
This presentation identifies typical characteristics of high-performance HVAC systems, which include: separating ventilation from temperature control, simple local controls, and ability to amend to low...
View ArticleForm vs Function?
This presentation emphasizes the importance of "keeping it simple" for building enclosure design. Cost, durability, and energy all benefit from simple building shapes, which also make it easier to...
View ArticleQuantifying Façade Performance: Advances in Simulation and Field Testing
This presentation highlights a number of ongoing and new building performance studies that explore the workings of windows in terms of factors that include solar gain, daylighting, and glare....
View ArticleField Thermal Performance of EIFS Using Vacuum Insulation Panels
This presentation describes the benefits offered by Vacuum Insulated Panels (VIPs) in term of thinner wall profiles for retrofit projects as well as on of the highest thermal resistances of any...
View ArticleNFPA 285 in the Field: An Update of Local Adoption
This presentation reviews the current standing of the International Building Code amendments and adoption by various state and local Authorities Having Jurisdictions (AHJ) in the US limited to the code...
View ArticleThe Reality of Quantifying Curtain Wall Spandrel Thermal Performance: 2D, 3D...
This presentation details three methods for Hot Box Testing, per ASTM C1363; 2D Modeling, and 3D Modeling, and compares test results for five different spandrel assemblies. It also discusses Vacuum...
View ArticleThe Future of Fenestration Rating
(This entry contains a PowerPoint presentation in PDF from the BEST4 conference.) This presentation traces the history on fenestration rating through the following steps: --Measurement of Material and...
View ArticleKeeping Energy Confined and Making Information Flow: The Smart Building of...
This opening plenary presentation offers a number of case studies illlustrating integrated enclosure design for new and retrofit projects. It also explains the potential of high-performance insulation...
View ArticleRestoring Airtightness and Weather-Resistance to Window and Curtain Wall Systems
This presentation presents a number of case studies detailing retrofit of curtainwall systems. It explains two methods of restoring airtightness and weather resistance: cap bead repair and gasket...
View ArticleState of the Art in Evaluation Durability of Exterior Plasters
This presentation begins with an introduction to the durability of exterior plasters, specifically, the role exterior plaster plays in the composition of an exterior wall and the modes of plaster...
View ArticleHistory and Future of Fenestration: Where Have We Been? Where are We Heading?
This presentation details the many reasons why designers and researchers should focus attention on fenestration as a major part of total building energy use and end use consumption as we strive for a...
View ArticleA Detailed Study of Sunshades and their Effects on Performance
Sunshades control the amount of direct sunlight through the building's windows, and offer premium energy savings that can drastically lower the energy usage. However, sunshades can also lead to the...
View ArticleRe-Glazing of All Glass Curtain-Wall Buildings
This presentation continues a presentation given at the 2012 BEST 3 Conference: “Premature Failure and Re-Glazing of an Energy Efficient Structurally Glazed Curtain-wall Building”. The presentation...
View ArticleDeterioration Model for Establishing an Optimal Mix of Time-Based Maint. and...
Buildings comprise hundreds of assets, such as roofs and boilers, each of which has different durability expectations and therefore requires a corresponding maintenance strategy to sustain their...
View ArticleGuidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities
This is the first edition of the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospital and Health Care Facilities to be totally completed under the aegis of the Facility Guidelines Institute. It has had...
View ArticleThermal Imaging Helps Locate Enclosure Air Leakage
Effective enclosure commissioning often includes a whole-building leakage test and air-leakage investigation, The leakage test determines whether the specified tightness has been achieved, while the...
View ArticleUsing Infrared Thermography in Flat and Low-Sloped Roofing Systems
As part of a roof asset management system, roof moisture surveys that use infrared thermography can help save substantial dollars. Thermal imaging care narrow roofing areas that contain moisture to a...
View ArticleMoisture Investigations Using Thermal Cameras
This article explains how thermal cameras have proven to be useful tools for investigating moisture problems in structures. Moisture influences how building materials respond to temperature...
View ArticleA Quantitative Analysis of Thermal Bridging
Thermal bridging in building construction is a ell-understood phenomenon, resulting most frequently from structural elements made of high-conduction materials that penetrate through insulation layers...
View ArticleThe Relationship of Form and Performance in Facade Design
This article provides insight into how a concern for geometry and proportion has continuously influenced the design of buildings over time. The focus of the work included here illustrates how...
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