Seminar 57 - Air Barriers and HVAC Systems: A Better Marriage PDF

Track: Tall Buildings
Sponsor: 4.4 Building Materials and Building Envelope Performance
Chair: Chris Schumacher, Member, RDH Building Science Laboratories, Waterloo, ON, Canada
Building air leakage compromises the performance of ventilation systems and air-based heating/cooling systems, preventing air from being delivered in the right amount, to the right space, at the right time. However, there are ways to ensure the air barrier system works as intended, reducing loss of conditioned air, while improving the HVAC system delivery efficiency. This session reviews the principles and requirements for air barrier systems; design, construction and commissioning processes are addressed; building envelope – HVAC interactions are considered; and field measurements of air leakage and ventilation airflow distribution for a 13-story residential building are presented.

1. Air Barrier in the Building Envelope: Basics
Laverne Dalgleish, Associate Member, Air Barrier Association of America, Boston, MA
People tend to look to the thermostat when they are uncomfortable in a building. The HVAC system will only work properly if the building envelope has been properly designed and constructed. The industry is starting to understand that an air barrier system is critical for the performance of the HVAC system in a building. This presentation covers the basics of an air barrier system in a building.

2. Airflow Breakdown: Mapping Ventilation Airflow in a 13 Storey Residential Tower
Lorne Ricketts, P.Eng., Associate Member, RDH Building Science Inc., Vancouver, BC, Canada
This presentation covers a case study of air leakage and airflow in a 13-storey residential building. For this study a combination of techniques including fan doors, perfluorocarbon tracer gas testing and long term monitoring to assess pressure differences and in-service air flow rates. Overall, this study aims to improve the general understanding of factors affecting airflows in buildings and how these factors combine to influence the performance of building mechanical ventilation systems. The results of the study allow for general recommendations with regards to the design of ventilation systems, building enclosure airtightness and compartmentalization strategies for high-rise residential buildings.

Presented: Wednesday, January 24, 2018, 9:45 AM-10:45 AM
Run Time: 60 min.

This is a zip file that consists of PowerPoint slides synchronized with the audio-recording of the speaker (recorded presentation), PDF files of the slides, and audio only (mp3) for each presentation.