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When designing a building’s envelope and its interaction with the mechanical system, temperature, humidity, rain, and the interior climate often are ignored. The focus for the building may be more on… Read More

Good design and practice involve controlling the wetting of building assemblies from both the exterior and interior and different climates require different approaches.Vapor Permeance… Read More

As they are typically used in buildings today, vapor barriers are a cold climate artifact that has migrated into other climates more from ignorance than need. However, they often prevent assemblies… Read More

The requirements in the code can be used for wood framed structures with temperature and humidity conditions typical of residential occupancy.Three classes of vapor control are defined depending on… Read More

Claddings made of wood, fiber cement, stucco, concrete, and masonry all absorb water to varying degrees. Once the reservoirs get wet, the stored water can migrate elsewhere and cause problems.… Read More

The influence of vapor barriers on the hygrothermal performance of wall and roof systems is a function of exterior climate, interior climate, solar absorptance, rainwater absorption, and the vapor… Read More

This paper evaluates the performance of typical residential wall systems that incorporate water-resistive barriers with a range of vapor permeability. These systems included both absorbent and… Read More

Improved energy efficiency building enclosures generally means an increase in R-value and reduced air leakage, which commonly reduces the drying potential of wall assemblies. Essentially, less energy… Read More

Adhered veneers, in which masonry units are directly attached to a substrate via mortar and ties without a drainage or ventilation gap, have become a very popular finish in residential and light… Read More

Providing rigid insulating sheathing to the exterior of a wall assembly is a technique that has been used in cold climates for more than 40 years. Recently it has begun to be integrated into… Read More