LoginThis paper will present current procedures on the main amendments in the forthcoming Energieeinsparverordnung (German energy-saving ordinance) for 2009, as they stood at the publication deadline of 30 April 2008, along with the main changes to certification procedures in residential and non-residential construction. The new series...
Blower Door Symposium 2008
This page lists the Proceedings (full papers and/or abstracts) of the third European Blower Door Symposium, 30-31 May 2008, in Kassel, Germany.
Contains 17 papers.
Volume content
Incidence of mould/mildew on building materials - Causes, prevention and rectification with special reference to airtightness and ventilation | 2008 | English
Mould during the construction phase must be recognised by all those involved in the project as a defect that can usually, but not always, be avoided. Mould will grow on most building materials and products with organic components if conditions allow; the only really resistant materials are mineral, alkaline (e.g., cement-tempered...
Apartment ventilation to E DIN 1946-6 - A new programme tool for effective planning | 2008 | English
In all areas, concern is growing on the rising numbers of mould occurrences in residential buildings. A new survey has provided statistically reliable quantitative German data for the first time, according to which almost every tenth apartment is affected by mould. For 5.8% (around 2.2 million apartments) there was a connection between...
Detailed information from Blower Door tests - the basis for differentiated building analysis and optimised renovation - case study: office building | 2008 | English
The Blower Door procedure has shown itself to be a very effective instrument for analysing and quantifying the various components of the total problem for complex ventilation issues...
Conventional techniques for the measurement of adventitious leakage of building envelopes are based on steady pressurisation at high pressures (e.g. 50 Pa) that are not normally encountered with natural or mechanical ventilation. It is the leakage at low pressures (e.g. 4 Pa) that is of interest and it is shown that...
A thermally conductive building envelope must be constructed to be permanently airtight - this has been compulsory according to German building regulations since 1 Jan. 1995. That 6 Para. 1 of the current Energy Saving Regulations, in force since 1 Oct. 2007, nevertheless requires construction of a airtight building envelope...
Statistical Airtightness Inspection of Typed Buildings - Basics, Procedure, Examples | 2008 | English
For preselected totals of dwelling houses this article describes how statistical procedures on basis of small samples can be transferred into the prognosis whether the tolerable upper limit of airtighness is fulfilled or not. Necessary requirements on both sides are discussed - quality assurance during production of dwelling houses...
Documenting defects with active thermography when checking airtightness - an interesting alternative | 2008 | English
Thermography is often used to locate leaks in connection with an airtightness check. In this context it is important to know under what conditions the inspection system can recognise defects to a degree of certainty and reproducibility. Applications of leak location in checking airtightness use the excitation of the building envelope...
Implementing the EU-directive 2002/91/EF in Danish legislation led to regulations in the Danish Building Regulations on air tightness in buildings set out by the Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority, a department of the Danish Ministry of Economics and Business Affairs. From 2006 air leakage through the building envelope...
Every building must be airtight, and this airtightness is guaranteed by the building envelope. The necessary air change does not happen through the building envelope but through specific measures such as an air intake and extraction plant with heat recovery .Airtightness is achieved through installation of an airtight layer...
At the start of the measurements, the airtightness of the box was determined, achieving an n50 value of 0.79. Then the airtightness was progressively worsened by drilling (small holes, diameter of 12 / 25 mm and larger openings, diameter 100 mm) and the soundproofing quality of the roof measured. Airtightness was steadily reduced...
Recent efforts of French professionals from the building sector to account for airtightness | 2008 | English
According to the recent conclusions of the 'Grenelle de l’Environnement', the energy performance of buildings has become very recently a major concern in France. As a matter of fact, building’s airtightness is now explicitly considered as one of the two levers, with thermal bridges, that will lead French buildings toward higher energy efficiency...
High standards of airtightness for building envelopes protect occupants against common outdoor air pollutants - especially pollen and mildew spores that occur seasonally in high concentrations and can penetrate indoor spaces. For nitrogen dioxide and ozone, too, for which there are spatial and temporal concentration peaks...
Testing the airtightness of Large or multiple-storey-buildings in an EU-Regulation Context | 2008 | English
The importance of an airtight building envelope will, with growing awareness of energy efficiency in all European countries, continue to increase. Experience with testing small detached or two-unit houses is available in most countries. An English-language literature source on Measuring the airtightness of buildings has been...
This paper starts with a short explanation of how sick buildings and mould were, brought to the focus of the general public in 1993. The media have played a major role in publicizing problems with damp and run-down buildings. Due to this massive media bombardment the general public in Denmark is, compared to the rest of Europe...
Good envelope airtightness is a prerequisite for energy efficiency and effective ventilation of buildings. Through the implementation of specific national requirements, airtightness has evolved positively in many countries, while the European Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings and its associated CEN standards...