Wear Your Sweater, Don't Eat Your Sweater: An Architect's Handbook on Building Envelope Science

An Architect's Handbook: One of the most discussed and a misunderstood topic in our industry is the appropriate permeability, and placement, of the vapor barrier in optimal building envelope design. Compounding the debate is the requirement for more continuous insulation and energy-efficient building enclosure assemblies that prevent condensation and water infiltration. This handbook uses engaging analogies to explain the unchanging principles that will guide your design decisions. The principles will help design incredibly robust, watertight, and economically viable envelope enclosures that increase the energy efficiency of the structure and mitigate water infiltration, condensation, air infiltration, and thermal bridging. A Case Study: By studying the assumptions and design which lead to a catastrophic building failure for one of Bob's largest projects we see how the principles of science, not a specific product, provided the solution Bob needed to redesign a long-term solution that avoided condensation, complied with fire-related codes, increased the thermal performance of the building and, most importantly, rebuilt his reputation. Average Reading Time: 2-4 hours. “We’ve wrestled with questions about air and vapor barrier design for twenty years for the mixed-humid climate. This provided a clear solution to our firm in a concise, engaging read.” ~Michael F., FAIA