Thermal Performance of Facades

Attending next month’s ArchitectureBoston Expo (ABX)? Be sure to check out Thermal Performance of Facades on Friday, 11/16.

Current energy code requirements for building envelopes focus on the minimum amount of insulation required; however the thermal bridges typical in most commercial wall assemblies have become the dominant source of an envelope’s energy loss, and to further improve performance of our facades they need to be addressed. While the occurrence of thermal bridges in building envelopes is widely understood to occur, only a few studies have been conducted focusing on them, and those that have show that thermal bridges can significantly reduce assemblies R-values. This presentation focus on the research project that was conducted on the thermal performance of building envelopes through heat flow simulation of assemblies and thermal imaging of 8 constructed buildings to increase the practice’s knowledge of the discrepancy between design intention, simulated design, and actual performance. The presentation focuses on the methodology and tools that were used, as well as the findings of the research. The research investigated common wall systems, such as metal panels, rainscreens, and stick-built walls. This presentation seeks to shed light on how well current building envelopes perform through a sampling of buildings to quantify the impact thermal bridging can have, and raise awareness of the problem within the industry.

Details
Friday, November 16, 2012
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Speakers
Charles Klee, AIA, LEED AP, Principal, PAYETTE
Andrea Love, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Building Scientist, PAYETTE