by Charles Hendricks | Sep 30, 2015 | architecture, Building Science, Harrisonburg Architect
It is #Construct Show time again, so I am heading to St. Louis to learn the latest from the best in the construction industry. I look forward to this conference each year as our firm tries to stay on the cutting edge of the industry. The Construct Show is a gathering of CSI professionals from around the country. It is the only national trade show and educational conference for the commercial building teams that spec and source building products.
CSI Swag
This year I am participating in the panel discussion on blogging, serving as a mentor for a young professional, and giving a presentation on execution. The exhibit hall will feature hundreds of the latest innovations in the commercial building industry. There are mini seminars on the show floor, experts in every construction industry sector, and plenty of networking opportunities. I will attend sessions on sustainability in historic renovation, Robotics used in construction, specification development, moisture management, energy efficiency, and business leadership. It will be an amazing week!
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by Charles Hendricks | Sep 28, 2015 | Building Science, green term defined
HVAC stands for the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning system in your home or business. The system should be able to heat and cool your home to create a comfortable living environment. It should also have a source for bringing in fresh air and to control humidity. An HVAC system is designed by a mechanical engineer based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer.
An effective HVAC system will keep the fresh air in your home comfortable and healthy. A proper ventilation system has air filtration that removes toxins from the indoor environment. A properly designed system should include a ventilation strategy as well as heating and cooling capacity. Ventilation includes both the exchange of air to the outside and the circulation of air inside the thermal envelope. Keeping your home green and your energy bills low starts with clean air.
by Charles Hendricks | Sep 28, 2015 | architecture, Building Science, green term defined
HVAC stands for the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning system in your home or business. The system should be able to heat and cool your home to create a comfortable living environment. It should also have a source for bringing in fresh air and to control humidity. An HVAC system is designed by a mechanical engineer based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer.
An effective HVAC system will keep the fresh air in your home comfortable and healthy. A proper ventilation system has air filtration that removes toxins from the indoor environment. A properly designed system should include a ventilation strategy as well as heating and cooling capacity. Ventilation includes both the exchange of air to the outside and the circulation of air inside the thermal envelope. Keeping your home green and your energy bills low starts with clean air.
by Charles Hendricks | Sep 21, 2015 | architecture, Building Science, Harrisonburg Architect
Green Term Defined: Ceramic Tile
Ceramic tile is made from clay that has been permanently hardened by heat, often having a decorative glaze. Ceramic is a word derived from the ancient Greek “keramos” meaning “of fired clay.”
A properly installed ceramic tile floor will last for a very long time. Ceramic tile floors are aging-in-place friendly helping extend the usable life of a home. Ceramic tile floors are beautiful with many options, colors, textures, and patterns. Ceramic tile can be recycled, easy to clean, and can be used on walls and floors.
Tile floors can be a disaster if the right installation methods and systems are not used. The tile underlayment is the key to a long-lasting ceramic tile floor.
A sound subfloor that is level, has proper support, and is clean from defects is critical for a successful ceramic tile floor. If the floor is bouncy or damaged before you install the ceramic tile floor, it will not last. Once you have a sound / firm subfloor you need to select the appropriate tile underlayment system. I say system because you want a product specifically designed to protect your subfloor from moisture which means it is an entire system of protection. The industry leading system is made by Ditra. There are others, but this is the system I am most familiar with and is used commonly in our area. The key characteristic of a good underlayment system is one that is mechanically fastened to the tile using a grid / waffle system allowing the tile to “float.” This allows for small movements in the substructure of the system without impacting the rigid tile system. The system should be waterproof to prevent moisture from passing through into the subfloor. There should also be a system that allows for water vapor to exit the system so there is no build up of moisture.
by Charles Hendricks | Sep 7, 2015 | Building Science, green term defined, Harrisonburg Architect
Green Term Defined: Insulated Concrete Form
Insulated concrete form (ICF) is a wall building system made of reinforced concrete and most commonly rigid thermal insulation. The forms are stack and have the appropriate amount of steel reinforcing added vertically or horizontally. The ICF’s are then filled with concrete.
Insulated concrete form are similar to the concept of legos. Each manufacturer has a type of interconnected system so that allow the blocks to lock in place before the concrete is poured. Insulated concrete forms can be used for any building type.
After the concrete is in place, the insulated concrete form has significant thermal properties, soundproofing, fire resistive characteristics, and durability. ICF blocks are made by many different companies and have different characteristics. Some fold for easy shipping or are put together on site and some are blocks when they arrive. There are blocks that have graphite in them to deter insects from destroying the foam layer. There are blocks that use concrete with wood fiber for the outer walls, some using rigid foam, and some use cellular concrete. Each insulated concrete form has pros and cons, but all offer a superior wall system for many building types.
by Charles Hendricks | Aug 24, 2015 | architecture, Building Science, Green Building, green term defined
Green Term Defined: Thermal Bridging
Thermal bridging is one of the biggest problems we have when trying to create a high performance home. It is imperative to find an economical solution for walls that eliminates any thermal bridging from inside to outside the home. Thermal Bridging is where heat occurs across more conductive components in an otherwise well-insulated material, resulting in disproportionately significant heat loss.
Thermal Bridging can occur when using wood studs, steel studs, pre-engineered metal building, Insulated Concrete Forms, and even SIPS. In 2012 the building code in Virginia recognized this as an issue for code minimum buildings adding new requirements. To build the least energy-efficient possible building (code minimum) you have to either add additional insulation in your walls or wrap your building in a insulation blanket such as rigid board insulation. The minimum attic insulation has also increased dramatically over the last several years to meet code minimum. There are many places where bridging happens in a home including door and window frames, studs, attic access panel, trusses, nails, and even foundation walls can have issues. There are products that perform better to eliminate these challenges, but it sometimes takes a different way than builders are used to doing construction details.
There are challenges with adding more insulation, from diminishing returns to vapor movement. A keen understanding of building science is needed to deliver the best possible solution for health, durability, energy-efficiency, and budget. The biggest challenge I encounter are builders that have always done it another way and don’t want to change for fear of it not working.
HVAC stands for the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning system in your home or business. The system should be able to heat and cool your home to create a comfortable living environment. It should also have a source for bringing in fresh air and to control humidity. An HVAC system is designed by a mechanical engineer based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer.
HVAC stands for the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning system in your home or business. The system should be able to heat and cool your home to create a comfortable living environment. It should also have a source for bringing in fresh air and to control humidity. An HVAC system is designed by a mechanical engineer based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer.
