Strategies For Creating High-Performance Building Envelopes

With the renewed global focus on energy efficiency, the thermal performance of the building enclosure has gained increasing attention. Building and energy codes and standards across the words have undergone or are currently undergoing revisions, and the minimum thermal requirements for wood-frame building enclosure assemblies are now more stringent. Many of the new requirements exceed the practical thermal insulation limits of traditional wood stud frame construction, prompting the need for alternative assemblies that include insulation outside of the framing spaces, as well as more thermally efficient detailing.