Exterior Insulation Research Articles

Preservation, design and modern architecture: the challenges ahead

ABSTRACTMuch of the built environment has been constructed in the last hundred years, particularly in the decades following 1945. These buildings and sites are considered an integral part of our collective heritage, yielding a ‘recent heritage’ that must be considered for preservation. Modernism, followed by New Formalism, Brutalism and Post Modernism, are ‘styles’ that all in one form or another challenge our concept of permanence. Today, architects and designers live longer than their buildings, and, essentially, we are arguing for the preservation of our own buildings. Whereas William Morris and John Ruskin began to formulate a preservation theory at a time when buildings were centuries old, walls were load bearing and 18-inches thick, now they are of our own generation with walls that have been reduced to studs and a layer of sheetrock, a single concrete block or a layer of EIFS (exterior insulation finish system). There is no margin for error and, in that context, the concept of material authenticity – the desire to retain as much as possible the original material as the primary record of the past – would seem to be a contradiction.Preserving modernism has brought into focus the dichotomy between longevity and innovation. With the arrival of Post Modern architecture and particularly its early and whimsical expressions, the design and construction of these buildings seems to have become even more fragile and more temporal. This calls for more intervention, more replacement and reconstruction, creating an economic burden and a philosophical conundrum. While we are still deciding what is important and what to save, the buildings under consideration are rapidly deteriorating and have often become financially obsolete.For these phenomena, we need to develop a broader array of philosophical tenets and material strategies. By looking at some current and past examples of modernism and post modernism, we can begin to explore an approach. This may involve a partial or complete reconstruction or rebuilding, a concept anathema to established theories. Examples range, for instance, from Carlo Scarpa’s restoration and renovation of Castelvecchio in Verona, Italy to Charles Moore’s Piazza d’Italia in New Orleans; such instances may offer some insights into the levels of intervention to be anticipated and to its implications. After all, this dilemma is not entirely new, but must be addressed in the context of our generation, as others did before us.

Experimental study of the out of plane behavior of masonry infill walls with exterior insulation systems

The objective of this study is to evaluate the out of plane behavior of a masonry infill wall provided with an exterior thermal insulation system. For this purpose there were constructed two 1:1 scale specimens of masonry infill walls in order to compare a simple wall with one having already applied an exterior thermal insulation system composed by a polystyrene insulation and a protection layer of plaster and a glass fiber mesh. The load was applied through a horizontal force, acting at the mid height of the wall. Both specimens were tested in displacement control, using alternate force with 3 cycles per loading step. As it was expected, an increased stiffness and out of plane resistance was observed for the wall provided with the insulation system. Various observations were noticed related to the technology and overall behavior of the infill masonry wall.

The Design of Wireless Control System for Dry Ice Cleaning Device

With a dry Ice cleaning device, a control system is designed based on micro controller module, applying to charged dry ice cleaning operation of exterior insulation in power substation. Micro controller module and wireless communication module is the core of control system. One pipe line upward introduces branch, instead of the traditional 8 pipe lines. It optimizes the pipeline design and reduce the complexity of the device. Electromagnetic compatibility and field operation test were carried out for wireless control system of dry ice cleaning device. The results show that the control system can meet the requirements of electromagnetic compatibility and electromagnetic interference, and meet the requirements of the field operation function and insulation.

Building retrofit addressing occupancy: An integrated cost and environmental life-cycle analysis

Building retrofit can lead to important savings in operating cost and environmental impacts; however, the actual savings depend on future house occupancy, which is generally not taken into account. The goal of this article is to carry out an integrated (cost, environmental and energy) life-cycle (LC) assessment of alternative roof and exterior-wall insulation retrofit strategies for a single-family house addressing occupancy. Alternative scenarios were defined by type of use (residential and office) and occupancy level (low and high), set-points and family size. LC impacts were calculated for five environmental categories and non-renewable primary energy showing that an insulation level threshold (where total LC impacts are minimized) can be identified for exterior-wall retrofit (60–70mm for all scenarios) and roof retrofit (90–100mm for low residential occupancy; 80–90mm for high residential occupancy and office use). Recommendations can be provided to enhance the retrofit performance of historic buildings in Southern Europe, depending on their use and occupancy level. Highly-insulated retrofit is more beneficial for high occupancy levels with higher thermal comfort conditions. No benefit is derived from incorporating insulation for lower comfort conditions. Interior insulation on exterior walls presents higher savings than exterior insulation.

An optimization problem in heat conduction with minimal temperature constraint, interior heating and exterior insulation

We show the existence and optimal regularity of the optimal temperature configuration in a problem in heat conduction with minimal temperature constraint, interior heating and exterior insulation. Regularity of the two free boundaries is also studied.

Analysis of Hygrothermal Performance of Wood Frame Walls according to Position of Insulation and Climate Conditions

The insulation of a building envelope influences the hygrothermal performance as well as the thermal performance of the building. While most of Korean wood frame houses have an interior insulation system, the exterior insulation system with high thermal performance has recently been applied. While it can be effective in energy savings for better insulation performance, without consideration of the moisture, condensation and mould growth can occur. Therefore, in this study, hygrothermal behaviour, water content, and mould growth were analyzed using hygrothermal simulation of an exterior wall of a wood frame house with which the interior insulation and exterior insulation systems were applied. The wall layer included Wall A (Interior insulation) and Wall B (Exterior insulation). The U-values were identified as 0.173 and 0.157 W/m2K, respectively. The total water content and OSB absolute water content of Wall A were confirmed to be higher than those of Wall B, but the absolute water content did not exceed the reference value of 20%. The moisture content of the two walls was determined to be stable in the selected areas. However, mould growth risk analysis confirmed that both Wall A and Wall B were at risk of mould growth. It was confirmed that as the indoor setting temperature decreased, the mould index and growth rate in the same area increased. Therefore, the mould growth risk was affected more by indoor and outdoor climate conditions than by the position of the insulation. Consequently, the thermal performance of Wall B was superior to that of Wall A but the hygrothermal performances were confirmed to be similar.

Experimental performance evaluation of solid concrete and dry insulation materials for passive buildings in hot and humid climatic conditions

It is known that enhancement of building energy efficiency can help in reducing energy consumption. The use of the solar insulating materials are the most efficient and cost effective passive methods for reducing the cooling requirements of the buildings. Apart from theoretical studies, no detailed experimental studies were performed in the UAE on energy savings by using solar insulation materials on buildings. Four (3m×3m×3m) solar calorimeters were built in RAK, UAE in order to perform an open air outdoor test for energy savings obtained with solar insulating materials. The design is aimed to determine the heat flux reduction and the energy savings achieved with and without different solar insulating materials, mounted at the south wall of solar calorimeters with similar indoor and ambient conditions. Experimental results are discussed to evaluate the thermal performance during high temperature conditions in summer’s period when cooling demand of the building is at its peak and also in winters when there is no cooling demand. The test is from 2012 to 2014. The controlled-temperature experimental study at a set point of 24°C showed that if the standard building material, i.e. solid concrete, is retrofitted with polyisocyanurate (PIR) and reflective coatings or completely replaced with energy-efficient dry insulation material walls such as exterior insulation finishing system (EIFS), energy savings up to an average of 7.6–25.3% can be achieved. This is due to the reduction of heat flux by an average of 22–75% at south wall during summer. Similarly, free floating analysis was done during winter and the measurements showed the behaviour of the heat flux flow and the variations in room temperature due to the variation of thermal mass caused by the difference in heat capacities of the façade with and without insulation. Heat flux and temperature variations were minimal in cases of insulated buildings when compared against a reference building in the winter free flow tests. The temperature variation is limited to 2°C in case of insulated buildings compared to 6°C in the reference case caused by high thermal inertia. Thus, insulation is essential in summer as well as in winter for the buildings in Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Overall, this paper provides a novel view on the most significant contributors to the thermal behaviour of the structure, and presents a methodology on the outdoor tests with various materials, that can significantly improve the thermal behaviour of the buildings in the extremely hot climate.

Insulation systems of the building construtions

Constructions of the exterior insulation and decoration combines materials of different functionality and constructive solutions allows to these materials to demonstrate their efficiency to the great extent. Fire safety of buildings is mandatory requirement for building systems. Some insulating material may belong to the group of combustible, but their use in structures so as to minimize the risk of fire. On the other hand, there are special designs, in which non-flammable insulation acts as a flame retardant barrier. In the article carried systematization of construction systems used in the flat and pitched roof during the insulation and wall covering and facades. Taking into account the experience of leading firms were considered the application features of using exterior finish systems: construction solutions, requirements for materials and recommendations about the installation these systems.The article deals with the construction ventilated roofing system of two types: flat roof and pitched roof seam. In the first case, the ventilation system is created using milled insulation boards in the second - by a ventilated gap. In both cases the natural convection of air in the air cavities. Ensuring operational stability insulation is laid on the stages of production of heat-insulating materials. It is important: firstly responsible execution of all process operations associated with providing regulatory properties of materials and secondly, the performance of additional operations associated with the produc-tion of materials, working in a specific design. An example of a material whose properties can modify for a particular application, are milled mineral wool (with air channels) for systems of ventilated flat roof.

Development of Durable Exterior Insulation Finishing Systems Based on Composite Timber Technology for Building Facades

Today, the requirements to thermal insulation of buildings and structures are increasing. Insulation has become an essential part of regulatory thermal protection of buildings. The analysis of the advantages and drawbacks of the existing insulation systems has shown that the most suitable system is the one with the insulation layer located outside the building. Such system of insulation is based on the use of an additional layer, called finishing or cladding, placed on top of the insulation layer to ensure the protection of buildings against atmospheric agents. The purpose of this study was to develop a material for exterior finish cladding of buildings. We developed a composite timber cladding system in the form of laminated composite material consisting of a substrate (base), a binder and a decorative layer. Manufacturing process comprised four stages. Atmospheric effects were modeled according to the GOST climatic test methods. For the rational use of material resources we calculated the optimal material consumption per unit area for the decorative layer. Durability of cladding depends on the substrate material. Under the effect of atmospheric agent the durability of cladding decreases. Heat and ultraviolet exposure causes decrease in durability of cladding after the completion of resin polymerization, which initially leads to an increase in durability. The impact of aggressive media solutions also results in reduced durability of cladding. Durability of cladding depends on the strength characteristics of the substrate. An operation life of cladding is determined by the difference between the mass of cladding with optimal material consumption per unit area for the decorative layer and the mass of similar cladding with the least possible material consumption per unit area for the decorative layer from an aesthetic perspective. The operational life of the developed cladding is at least 15 years. The cement chipboard-resin compound has low adhesive strength, which leads to the conclusion about the impossibility of using cement chipboard as the substrate for decorative cladding. High humidity deformation limits the use of wood particleboards and MDF as a substrate for cladding. Thus, we recommend using WBP plywood as a substrate for the cladding. The economic rationale is based on the comparison of the following materials used for exterior finishing systems: plywood, facing bricks, porcelain stoneware and vinyl siding.

외단열 PC 벽체 시스템 개발 및 실용화를 위한 성능 평가

The purpose of this study is to develop high performance of exterior insulation precast concrete wall and evaluate performance of the wall for the basic, production, construction and energy. The result of this study as follows : 1) High performance exterior insulation precast concrete wall was developed that the insulation performance is 40% higher and the weight is 50% less than existed RC-Wall. 2) The basic performance of PC-Wall was allowable in ASTM and AAMA standards. 3) The production performance was secured as manufacturing production system and mass production would be able. The construction was taken about 40 minutes for each PC-Wall. 4) In comparison with interior insulation system, linear thermal transmittance and annual heating energy demand of exterior PC-Wall apartment were decreased 18.4~82.5% and 17.6% respectively.

Dynamic thermal reaction analysis of wall structures in various cooling operation conditions

This paper proposes a methodology of performance assessing of envelops under different cooling operation conditions, by focusing on indoor temperature change and dynamic thermal behavior performance of walls. To obtain a general relationship between the thermal environment change and the reaction of envelop, variously insulated walls made with the same insulation material are separately built in the same wall of a testing building with the four different structures, namely self-heat insulation (full insulation material), exterior insulation, internal insulation and intermediate insulation. The advantage of this setting is that the test targets are exposed to the same environmental variables, and the tests results are thus comparable. The target responses to two types of perturbations, cooling temperature and operation time were chosen as the important variations in the tests. Parameters of cooling set temperature of 22°C and 18°C, operation and restoring time 10min and 15min are set in the test models, and discussed with simulation results respectively. The results reveal that the exterior insulation and internal insulation are more sensitive to thermal environment change than self-heat insulation and intermediate insulation.

공동주택용 외단열 적층시공 공법 개념모델 개발

공동주택의 에너지 의무 절감률이 현재 40%에서 2017년에는 60%까지 단계적으로 상향 조정되면서 에너지 절감을 위해 외단열 공법이 주목받고 있다. 그러나 기존 외단열 공법은 내단열 공법에 비해 추가되는 공사비와 공사기간으로 인해 활성화가 미흡한 실정이다. 따라서 본 연구는 외단열공사와 골조공사를 연속적으로 시공함으로서 공사기간을 단축하고 공사비를 절감할 수 있는 외단열 적층시공 공법의 개념모델을 개발하고 사례적용을 통해 공법의 타당성을 검증하였다. 연구결과 외단열 적층시공 공법은 기존의 외단열 공법에 비해 6.7%의 공기절감 효과와 13%의 외단열 공사비 절감효과가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구의 결과인 적층시공 공법은 외단열 공법적용의 저해요소를 해결하여 향후 외단열 공법 활성화에 기여할 것으로 기대된다. Exterior Insulation and Finishing System(EIFS) is recognized as a promising alternative for energy reduction as energy reduction ratio of apartment is to be increased from 40% to 60% in 2017. However, EIFS is not actively applied to apartment because additional construction costs and duration are required for the current existing construction method of EIFS. Therefore, this study proposes a conceptual framework for concurrent construction method of EIFS which can reduce construction costs and duration by working sequentially from frame work to exterior insulation finishing work, and then verify the method's feasibility by analyzing a case study. It has been proven from the analysis that concurrent construction method of EIFS reduces 6.7% of construction duration and 13% of construction costs compared with the conventional exiting method. The proposed method is expected to contribute to invigorated application of EIFS to apartment.

무기계 경량 단열재를 적용한 외단열 공법의 외벽 화재성상

The purpose of this study is to develop a exterior insulation wall construction method with fire safety. As a first step, domestic and aborad regulations were investigated, and three development factors were drawn: use of a non combustible insulation and a metal fixing material, application of a vertical fire spread prevention structure, and a vertical void block structure. First, dry type and wet type exterior insulation system were developed using the non combustible mineral insulation and the metal L type angle, which was adhered on the wall without void. Then a fire performance of the systems was evaluated by ISO 13785-2 large scale fire test. As results, mineral insulation occurred some cracks, but there was none of melting, falling and exfoliation during 25 min. Dry type aluminum panels were almost burned and fallen down, whereas wet type coat finish was only burned out on the face and there was none of falling and exfoliation. The highest temperature value was at the upper part after 20 min and at the lower part after 7 min. The highest heat flux value was 68 kw/m2 at the right point of bottom part, which was caused by crack of mineral insulation. It is need to study exterior fire test more and accumulate data and establish a fire performance standard by ISO 12785-2.

The influence of sustainable design features on indoor environmental quality satisfaction in Turkish dwellings

The aim of this paper is to explore the influence of sustainable design features on occupants’ satisfaction levels with indoor environmental quality (IEQ) aspects in three types of dwellings. Satisfaction level was investigated through a field survey with 240 participants, in apartments, row and detached houses in Turkey. Satisfaction level was explored in terms of overall satisfaction with IEQ, with the efficiency of daily living activities and with sleeping quality. Satisfaction level was also investigated regarding the dwellings’ thermal, ventilation, lighting, sound level and moisture qualities. The findings indicate that the existence of exterior insulation, a thermostat, light dimmers and control of daylighting systems through operable windows have high impacts on the satisfaction level of occupants living in all three types of dwellings.

Moisture Performance of Energy-Efficient and Conventional Wood-Frame Wall Assemblies in a Mixed-Humid Climate

Long-term moisture performance is a critical consideration for design and construction of building envelopes in energy-efficient buildings, yet field measurements of moisture characteristics for highly insulated wood-frame walls in mixed-humid climates are lacking. Temperature, relative humidity, and moisture content of wood framing and oriented strand board (OSB) structural panel sheathing were measured over a period from mid-November 2011 through March 2013 in both north- and south-facing orientations in test structures near Washington, DC, USA. Wall configurations varied in exterior cladding, water-resistive barrier, level of cavity insulation, presence of exterior continuous insulation, and interior vapor retarder. The combination of high interior humidity and high vapor permeance of painted gypsum board led to significant moisture accumulation in OSB sheathing during winter in walls without a vapor retarder. In contrast, wintertime moisture accumulation was not significant with an interior kraft vapor retarder. Extruded polystyrene exterior insulation had a predictable effect on wall cavity temperature but a marginal impact on OSB moisture content in walls with vinyl siding and interior kraft vapor retarder. Hygrothermal simulations approximately captured the timing of seasonal changes in OSB moisture content, differences between north- and south-facing walls, and differences between walls with and without an interior kraft vapor retarder.

A Parametric Study on Exterior Insulation Systems and Heat Reflective Paints for Energy Efficiency in Buildings

Buildings are responsible for at least 40% of the used energy in most of the countries and the figure is rising as the construction booms. But pace of energy saving in building is much lower in India as compared to developed countries. So, there is an immediate need to open up new techniques to address the issue and also progress in the area of actual implementation should be accelerated immediately because both knowledge and techniques are available today to slash the energy usage in a building.Our focus is mainly on the modification of building envelope to reduce the energy used for cooling in A/C building and to reduce the temperature of the interior of non-A/C building.Berger has developed different systems such as EIFS for wall, Roof insulation and Heat reflecting paint for both wall & roof. The efficiency of these systems in terms of energy saving and cooling has been tested at Howrah and also has been tested by CBRI at Roorkee, through actual field study for two years. The test results revealed that the maximum energy saving of 32.33% can be achieved for A/C building. For non A/C building, maximum temperature difference of 6.4°C between outdoor and indoor air of the room can be achieved.

Evaluation of Surface Humidification of Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems

AbstractExterior insulation and finish systems (EIFSs) are common in Europe nowadays. These systems bring thermal benefits, in addition to being cheap and easy to apply, but there are often serious problems with biological growth, causing cladding defacement. The physical phenomenon causing EIFS defacement is known, and mathematical models simulating its performance have been developed. However, no simple process exists to evaluate the risk of EIFS surface humidification (which contributes to surface defacement) that might be used by designers and by the building industry. This paper presents a methodology to assess EIFS surface humidification based on the definition of indices that combine the effect of surface condensation, wind-driven rain, and the drying process, three of the most prevalent parameters influencing surface moisture content. The proposed indices were calculated using data collected during a 1-year in situ test campaign, which provided information about the exterior climate conditions and...

A Discussion on the Building’s Exterior Wall Insulation Technology and Energy-saving Materials

<p>Hereby discussed on the most commonly used building’s exterior insulation technology and energy-saving materials. Promote positive building’s exterior wall technology, be sure to strengthen the development and utilization of new energy-saving materials, so that the EEB (Energy Efficiency Building) get implemented.</p>

A Discussion on the Building’s Exterior Wall Insulation Technology and Energy-saving Materials

<p>Hereby discussed on the most commonly used building’s exterior insulation technology and energy-saving materials. Promote positive building’s exterior wall technology, be sure to strengthen the development and utilization of new energy-saving materials, so that the EEB (Energy Efficiency Building) get implemented.</p>

Application and Feature Analysis of some Kinds of New A-Class Fire Protection Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems in Hot-Summer and Cold-Winter Area

According to the requirements promulgated by the state on the class of fire protection of the building insulation materials, the paper, on the basis of common external wall insulation system, introduces 3 kinds of new exterior insulation and finish systems , SJN combined self-thermal insulation wall insulation system, STP ultrathin vacuum insulation board exterior wall insulation system, composite exterior wall insulation system of polyurethane sandwich board, which are up to the national standard of A-class fire protection. The compositions, construction process, and features of above 3 kinds of new exterior insulation and finish systems are analyzed. The conclusions may provide theoretical guidance to the proper use of these 3 new external wall insulation systems in hot-summer and cold-winter area.