Buildings that Breathe: Thermal Protection, Moisture Proofing and Healthy Air

Moisture proofing and thermal protection depend upon well-engineered system design using new insulations, integrated flashings, and crystalline coatings, to create healthy buildings.
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Sponsored by CertainTeed Gypsum, EIMA, Johns Manville, Mortar Net® USA, Ltd., PIMA - Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association, US Tile Company and Xypex Chemical Corp.
Celeste Novak, AIA, LEED AP, En\compass Architecture

Clay roofs are durable and provide excellent thermal and moisture protection in any location.

Photo courtesy of US Tile Company

Comfort Zones
Architects choose from a palette of finish materials for cladding as well as choosing a structural system that will support their formal design expression. There are numerous combinations of materials for both the exterior and the interior of buildings.

In addition to wrapping the building with a thermal cladding, the interior of buildings must be conditioned for the "comfort zone." Architects design buildings for that range of temperature, humidity and airflow, which makes most people happy. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), is the leader in developing standards for comfort. Most professionals are familiar with the psychometric chart which recommends how to mechanically engineer an interior space which is comfortable in any climate zone.

For decades, many designers have relied on engineered mechanical systems to resolve many problems caused by using the same materials in different climates. Renewed concerns for energy savings have resulted in increased thicknesses and layers of insulating materials. By integrating building materials with the mechanics of engineering early in the design process the architect can reduce the mechanical loads to increase energy efficiency. Architects can enclose space by designing building "envelopes" to moderate temperature and to keep occupants dry. They also need to design building "skins" which breathe with the change in weather, the affects of humidity and hydrostatic pressure.

MATERIALS: ENVIRONMENTAL PROPERTIES AND INTEGRATED SYSTEM DESIGN

Division Seven of Construction Institute (CSI) Master Format4 identifies the categories for thermal and moisture protection. There are hundreds of products which can be specified by designers for thermal and moisture protection. John Brooks Smith P.E. global platform leader for building science for JM is convinced that architects can meet the environmental challenges of tomorrow with the materials which exist today. "Architects need to take ownership of all of the energy conservation features that go into a building to ensure that all components work as a system." Sometimes the environmental benefits outweigh the concerns about the sustainability of the manufacturing of a material and professionals should weigh the longevity, permanence and performance when choosing materials for an integrated system.

Glass mat gypsum sheathing is moisture-resistant, and can be used as a moisture barrier when the joints are treated.

Image provided by CertainTeed Gypsum

There is concern for the environment by manufacturers, many of whom are now listing the ways in which their products meet the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® certification program. Some materials are both recycled and/or have the ability to be recycled, and are adhered with low VOC adhesives. In some formaldehyde-free fiberglass residential batt insulation, there can be an average of 25 percent recycled glass. The polyisocyanurate industry has "reached its goal of producing a thermally efficient insulation that uses a blowing agent with zero ozone-depletion potential and negligible global-warming potential and has been well-received by roofing contractors."5

 

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Originally published in GreenSource
Originally published in September 2008

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