My firm handles a good amount of preservation and reuse work. Energy-efficiency is always an issue (we make sure of that). However, there is a considerable amount of confusion about how the Indiana energy code applies to historic buildings and renovation projects. Let’s clear the air. Buildings built before January 21, 1978 are exempt from the Indiana Energy Code. There is no substitute for primary source material. Keep these links handy: Indiana Administrative Code (IAC) – Also known as the….
Read MoreCategory Archives: Green Building
Is Daylight Saving Time Necessary?
Originally published on March 7, 2016 by BNP Media through the Architectural Roofing & Waterproofing Blog. Spring Forward, Fall Back. We know the routine well, but have you ever wondered why the United States uses Daylight Saving Time (DST)? If you ask around, you’ll hear some interesting theories: …so kids don’t have to catch the school bus in the dark? No. …to save energy? Not really. …to benefit farmers by giving them an extra hour of daylight?….
Read MoreDefining Mass Walls through Heat Capacity
Originally published on February 12, 2015 by BNP Media through the Architectural Roofing & Waterproofing Blog. There are significant differences in the prescriptive requirements of mass walls versus other above-grade walls. Using ASHRAE 90.1-2007 as example, above-grade walls for a steel-framed nonresidential building in Climate Zone 5 will need a minimum of R-13 insulation AND a continuous insulation layer of at least R-7.5. However, the building’s mass wall assemblies would only be required to exhibit a continuous layer of R-11.4….
Read MoreStandard Effective Temperature (SET) and Thermal Comfort
Originally published on January 18, 2016 by BNP Media through the Architectural Roofing & Waterproofing Blog. Recently, the U.S. Green Building Council adopted three new pilot credits on resilient design for use by LEED project teams for innovation credit. One pilot credit in particular, Passive Survivability and Functionality During Emergencies, endeavors to ensure that buildings will maintain reasonable (i.e., “survivable”) functionality, including access to potable water, in the event of an extended power outage or loss of heating fuel. Power outages….
Read MoreVisualizing Weather Data Using Climate Consultant
Originally published on December 28, 2015 by BNP Media through the Architectural Roofing & Waterproofing Blog. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) provides public access to long-term climate data for over 2,100 locations throughout the world in formats suitable for the publicly-funded EnergyPlus whole-building energy modeling software. These files are chock-full of hourly weather data of 30-year averages for temperature, humidity, wind speeds, and much more. For residential projects and other skin-load dominated….
Read MoreThe Difference Between Reflectance and Emittance
Originally published on November 18, 2015 by BNP Media through the Architectural Roofing & Waterproofing Blog. What is emittance? Among the three basic forms of heat transfer – conduction, convection, and radiation – the term emittance refers to a material’s ability to release heat through radiation. The term necessarily refers to the heat exchange at surface of a material because heat exchange through a solid would be conductive and heat exchange through a fluid would be convective. Emittance is the….
Read MoreCorporate Sustainability Reports (CSRs) and LEED v4
Originally published on October 20, 2015 by BNP Media through the Architectural Roofing & Waterproofing Blog. While various transparency labels such as Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), Health Product Declarations (HPDs), and Cradle to Cradle Certified Products have received a great deal of attention under LEED v4, project teams can also be rewarded by choosing products from manufacturers that have publicly released information from their raw materials suppliers indicating extraction locations, a long-term commitment to ecologically responsible land use, efforts to….
Read MoreWe Must Address Our Aging Infrastructure
Originally published on September 22, 2015 by BNP Media through the Walls & Ceilings Blog. Infrastructure is essential for every family, community, and business to function. It encompasses everything from the water that comes out of your faucet to the Hoover Dam; from the road in your neighborhood to our expansive interstate highway network. Planes, trains, ports, the electric grid, solid way conveyance – it all falls under the umbrella of infrastructure. It is the foundation that connects society, driving….
Read MoreAnalog Analysis
Lam Partners Principal Keith Yancey demonstrates model testing on the heliodon with students at the Boston Architectural College during the Fall 2015 Intensive Week. Photograph by Daniel Overbey. Originally published on August 25, 2015 by BNP Media through the Walls & Ceilings Blog. Digital tools are vital (I rely on them virtually everyday), but sometimes in order to really understand a phenomena we have to get a bit closer. That’s where analog analysis tools come in handy. Something special happens when….
Read MoreExamining the Jevons Paradox through Residential Energy Consumption
Originally published on August 13, 2015 by BNP Media through the Walls & Ceilings Blog. Is there any such thing as a ‘perfect’ energy code? I recently posed this question to a colleague of mine – a gentleman with whom I have served alongside in multiple state code review committees over the years. He poignantly offered, “While new energy codes may improve the energy efficiency of a building, it does not follow axiomatically that the building will use less energy.”….
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