Building Science Advisor (BSA): A Tool to Assist in the Design and Education of Durable Envelopes

Abstract

Moisture durability of a building envelope component can be difficult to predict. It depends on the materials used, the location in the assembly, macro- and micro- climate of the building, air tightness, the interior environment, and construction quality. Modern building codes require more insulation and tighter construction but provide little guidance about how to ensure these energy-efficient assemblies are designed and built to retain moisture durability. Furthermore, as new products are introduced to the market, builders are increasingly uncertain about the long-term durability of their building envelope designs. As building envelopes get tighter and better insulated, moisture management is key to a durable and high-performing wall assembly. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that high-R building envelope assemblies in new and existing single and multifamily homes can decrease energy use by about 2.75 quads per year which is nearly 3 percent of the energy consumed in the United States https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/articles/research-and-development-roadmap-windows-and-building-envelope (DOE, 2014). However, advanced building envelope systems are rarely selected by building designers. Current solutions are unfamiliar to many designers, builders, contractors, and code officials and therefore perceived as risky to condensation and moisture accumulation in those assemblies. The Building Technologies Office at the U.S. Department of Energy has sought to resolve some of these knowledge gaps regarding moisture durability of well-insulated building envelope systems. Developing data, guidance, and tools needed to facilitate rapid industry adoption of high-performance, moisture-managed building envelope systems is part of their strategic plan. To address this issue, U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Program has partnered with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to introduce the latest version of the Building Science Advisor (BSA) https://bsa.ornl.gov/ (ORNL, 2024). BSA helps teach building science principles and can inform residential building designers on how to specify energy efficient, moisture durable wall systems. BSA is an educational tool designed for builders, architects, engineers, and students that can accelerate workforce training on the topic of building science and moisture durability by providing a more intuitive way to learn building science. For educators the (BSA) Building Science Advisor is a “book” in the (BASC) Building America Solutions Center “library” of Residential Building Science Education/Training. For the construction industry BSA is a “tool” in the building science “toolbox”.