High-Performance Building Enclosures in the Anthropocene

High-Performance Building Enclosures in the Anthropocene
Nov/Dec 2018 SABMag ConEd Article
GBCI: 0920017555

Overview
As a human race, we find ourselves in a race against time as we look to drop our carbon emissions to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Our buildings play an important role and how we build can have a significant impact. It’s in our hands as to whether our buildings have a positive contribution or a negative one when it comes to the environment. In this technical article you will learn about what constitutes a high-performance building enclosure, how you can achieve this without the need for foam, and why smart building enclosures are the future of high-performance buildings.

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this learning unit, the reader will be able to:

Define what constitutes a high-performance building enclosure.
Describe the fundamental principles of a smart building enclosure.
Identify solutions to achieve a smart building enclosure.
Understand the concerns with using foam in high-performance buildings.

Assessment
All articles offered by SABMag are GBCI approved. To qualify for continuing education learning hours, practitioners must first read the technical article below, and then proceed to complete the short quiz at the end. You must receive 80% on the quiz to record the activity as part of your continuing education. An email will be sent to you and will act as your certificate of completion once you have successfully completed the requirements.

In order to obtain your CEU Certificate of Completion for this course (1h CE):

STEP 1 : Read the article High-Performance Building Enclosures in the Anthropocene (PDF format)

STEP 2 : Take the quiz and get a minimum of 8 out of 10 correct answers to receive your Certificate of Completion.

Quiz by: SABMagazine

1.

According to the article, approximately what percentage of human-made greenhouse gas emissions is the harvesting and manufacturing of building materials responsible for?

a. 5%

b. 20%

c. 40%

d. It is negligible

2.

High-performance buildings is all about making buildings less bad. True or False?

a. True

b. False

3.

Lower embodied carbon, more natural materials, smart vapour, air & thermal control are all what?

a. Good ideas

b. Specifications guidelines

c. Principles of Passive House

d. Actionable foundational principles of high-performance enclosures

4.

Which of the following is a reason spray foam is not considered a durable material?

a. Spray foam is toxic for those installing it

b. Spray foam has high levels of embodied carbon

c. Spray foam is a highly processed chemical compound

d. Spray foam degrades in thermal value over time

5.

Which of the following is NOT the focus of a smart enclosure system?

a. Building science

b. Gadget-based technology

c. Using passive architectural systems

d. Combining basics of natural principles with technology

6.

If you are using a blower door on your building enclosure, you are testing for what?

a. Airtightness

b. Vapour drive

c. Thermal breaks

d. Insulation performance

7.

After keeping rain out, what are the next most important systems and in what order of priority?

a. Thermal, vapour, and air control

b. Air, thermal, and vapour control

c. Vapour, air, and thermal control

d. They all have equal importance

8.

Sheep’s wool insulation can remove contaminants from the indoor air. True or False?

a. True

b. False

9.

Smart vapour control looks to do what in cold climates?

a. Prevent wetting in the winter and promote drying in the summer

b. Prevent wetting in the winter and prevent wetting in the summer

c. Promote drying in the winter and promote drying in the summer

d. Prevent wetting in the summer and promote drying in the summer

10.

Discomfort, energy inefficiency, and condensation and moisture damages can be a cause of what?

a. Too much insulation

b. Not enough insulation

c. Discontinuous insulation

d. Insulation is not the cause of the problem

First and Last Name

Occupation / Business Name

Email Address

Dedicated to sustainable,
high performance building

High-Performance Building Enclosures in the Anthropocene

Subscribe to SABMag

SABMag at a Glance

SABMag Services

Follow Us

Subscribe to SABMag e-News

Dedicated to sustainable, high performance building