Today in LA, Feb. 7

The Department of Energy requested our assistance

Last Updated: Sep 9, 2010

During the BEC Chairs meeting in April 2010 the Department of Energy requested our assistance to identify areas of research that we believe would be beneficial to the design and construction industry and applicable to specific areas of the country. We are asking all BEC Chairs to pole their membership and other contacts for issues that they would like more research data or direction. Please keep these focused around areas where the DOE has interest (building envelope, energy efficiency, durability, tools, etc.).

This is our opportunity to influence the direction of research and gain more assurance for what we do.

These questions could be related to materials or systems or the development of new modeling software or verification of existing software. Think of what you need today as well as what you will need in the future.

Possible ideas are:

a. How much do vegetated roofs contribute to heat Island reduction and run-off control and how do they compare in cost and efficacy to other methods?

b. What are the effects of air movement and water accumulation in gaps between rigid foam insulation and the air/moisture barrier?

c. Energy efficiency comparison of various window, storefront and curtain wall perimeter seals.

d. Effect of thickness variation of fluid-applied air barriers on water, air and vapor permeability for both vapor permeable and non-vapor-permeable products.

e. Performance of different types of spandrel and shadow box design in curtain wall. Is double glazing needed if the remainder of the wall is double glazed? Should the space behind the glazing by vented? How long will the back of glass stay clean if the cavity is vented? Are the answers climate specific?

f. What is the predictable longevity of peal-and-stick membrane joints, with and without termination bars, in both vertical and horizontal applications, and especially when not “shingled” to shed water.

g. How significant is the heat loss through shelf angles bolted directly to slab-edges without other thermal isolation. Under what climatic conditions would a customized detail to provide a thermal break be justified.

h. How significant is the heat loss through continuous zee-girts when used to support a rain screen layer over an insulated air cavity? Under what climatic conditions would a customized detail to provide a thermal break be justified.

i. Does compartmentalization of rain screen walls truly improve performance? What is the optimal size for the compartmentalization performance?

j. How significant is the heat loss and moisture gain through joints at foundation walls to slabs.

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