Large Buildings

To measure airtightness, large buildings (multi-family dwellings) require more time, personnel, and equipment than small buildings (single-family dwellings). However, this outlay is not due to stricter requirements relating to the envelope surface of larger buildings, but to the more complex structure (access, supply). Exterior envelope surfaces and interior joint faces make specific contributions to air permeability, depending on the selected design, location in the building...

The purpose of the article is to introduce the condition of airtightness measurement market of large buildings in the Baltic states and in some European countries. There are also considered national building norms of envelope airtightness and measured values. Based on the measurement results of large buildings (more than 4,000 m3 volume according...

Spain is not a country whre airthightness is considered in building process. We still think on our spacial climate conditions (Mediterranean wheather) and still unknown all about thighness, sealing, leakages consecuences, etc. And this is also for residential or industrial buildings. This Spanish BlowerDoor Test Record will bring us the opportunity...

It is easier for large buildings to meet the requirements of airtight construction than for small buildings since the proportion of internal air volume to envelope area is more favorable. In large buildings, typical leakages,also found in single-family homes, bear a higher risk. The lift and driving forces for leakage flows are stronger. In addition, building...

Airtightness is the most important property of building envelopes to understand the ventilation. Airtightness refers to the flow measurement through the building envelope as a function of pressure across the building envelope. This relationship often fits to a power law, which is the most common way of expressing data. However, pressure homogeneity during airtightness tests can crop up, especially in large buildings.

CETE de Lyon gives support to French administration for thermal regulation definition and enforcement. They must therefore work on measurements in order to set appropriate requirements and give advice to professionals about building methods.

The absolute necessity of air renewal to maintain indoor air quality and thermal comfort in buildingsfaces the major issue of energy consumption reduction and optimisation in building sector. Manystudies carried out so far point out the performances improved thanks to the recourse to ventilationstrategies and control algorithms in the aim of optimising the energy consumption of air renewal, butvery few of them could assess the performances in the particular case of large buildings despite thepotential energy gains it represents considering the great volume and huge air flow rates induced.