Submitted by Maria.Kapsalaki on Thu, 11/23/2017 - 09:43
An airtight building envelope ensures not only the energy-efficiency of a building, but also a damage free construction. Important to achieve optimal airtightness are the planning, implementation and materials. Long-term airtightness requires efforts in all three aspects. Airtightness products are being tested under lab conditions but these results cannot be transferred one-on-one onto buildings.
Submitted by Maria.Kapsalaki on Thu, 11/23/2017 - 09:27
The airtightness just after the end of a building phase is assumed to be relevant criteria for high energy performance. Testing on site the initial performance of the airtightness via the blower door test has become nowadays a common practice but generally implemented before the occupation of the building. But a lot of questions are still remaining targeting the sustainability of the performances.
Submitted by Maria.Kapsalaki on Thu, 11/23/2017 - 09:27
With lower air leakage in modern homes, ventilation of homes has become more important than ever before. It seems however that we are getting it very wrong. A lack of ventilation can cause building sickness, with degradation of the physical building and also poor air quality which has a big impact on the occupants themselves. Our statistics show that designers and contractors are still not getting it right, leaving us with a generation of poorly ventilated housing stock.
Submitted by Maria.Kapsalaki on Tue, 03/22/2016 - 09:16
The aim of this paper is to show the effects of variable ventilation rates on the demand of energy and air quality in dwellings, and how airtightness and wind affect this relation. It is interesting to estimate the relation between the air ventilation rate and airtightness of dwellings which makes the dwelling to be under-pressure in order to avoid infiltrations.
Submitted by Maria.Kapsalaki on Mon, 03/21/2016 - 11:42
The control of heat losses, inwards/out, in nearly zero energy buildings is of high importance. The transmission losses through the building envelope are easily reduced using larger amounts of insulation. Calculation of the impact of this action on the total energy demand of the building, is quite standard. It’s however much more difficult to determine the efficiency of actions to increase the airtightness of the building and the influence of the ventilation system.
Submitted by Maria.Kapsalaki on Mon, 11/16/2015 - 17:45
The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of the envelope airtightness on airflow patterns for single detached dwellings depending on the ventilation system.
Submitted by Maria.Kapsalaki on Mon, 11/16/2015 - 17:42
The Net Zero Energy Residential Test Facility (NZERTF) was constructed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to support the development and adoption of cost-effective net zero energy designs and technologies. Key design objectives included providing occupant health and comfort through adequate ventilation and reduced indoor contaminant sources.
Submitted by Maria.Kapsalaki on Mon, 11/16/2015 - 17:26
In timber frame construction in Europe air barrier systems are typically realised at the interior side of the building envelope. Yet in some applications such as renovation projects it can be easier to provide the air barrier layer at the exterior. This way, the air barrier system – typically board materials in which the joints are sealed with tape – is exposed to outdoor weather conditions. The aim of the present article is to investigate the impact severe climatic conditions on the airtightness of typical taped joints.
Submitted by Maria.Kapsalaki on Mon, 11/16/2015 - 17:20
This paper presents airtightness data measured for about 752 units of high-rise reinforced concrete buildings (apartment buildings) that have been recently constructed within five years in Korea. Target buildings were mainly constructed by using reinforced concrete walls/floors, and dry/wet walls were installed between units. Airtightness data of residential units were analysed based on values of ACH50 and air permeability.
Submitted by Maria.Kapsalaki on Mon, 11/16/2015 - 17:08
Over three million subsidised dwellings were built in Spain between 1940 and 1980. Most of these buildings are now obsolete and fail to comply with thermal comfort and ventilation standards. A building's existing energy performance, including its airtightness, should be determined prior to conducting low-energy refurbishment, for those factors, particularly the latter, impact thermal comfort, energy demand and indoor air quality (IAQ) fairly heavily.