Bad experiences with construction quality, the energy crises of 1973 and 1979, complaints about «sick buildings», thermal, acoustical, visual and olfactory discomfort, the need for good air quality, the move towards more sustainability – all these have accelerated the development of a field that, for a long time, was hardly more than an academic exercise: building physics (in English speaking countries sometimes referred to as building science). The discipline embraces domains such as heat and mass transfer, building acoustics, lighting, indoor environmental quality and energy efficiency. In some countries, fire safety is also included. Through the application of physical knowledge and its combination with information coming from other disciplines, the field helps to understand the physical phenomena governing building parts, building envelope, whole buildings and built environment performance, although for the last the wording «urban physics» is used. Today, building physics has become a key player on the road to a performance based building design. The book deals with the description, analysis and modeling of heat, air and moisture transport in building assemblies and whole buildings with main emphasis on the building engineering applications, including examples. The physical transport processes determine the performance of the building envelope and may influence the serviceability of the structure and the whole building. Compared to the second edition, in this third edition the text has partially been revised and extended.
Bad experiences with construction quality, the energy crises of 1973 and 1979,complaints about `sick buildings?, thermal, acoustical, visual and olfactory discomfort, the need for good air quality, the move towards more sustainability ? all these have accelerated the development of a field that, for a long time, was hardly more than an academic exercise: building physics. The discipline embraces domains such as heat and mass transfer, building acoustics, lighting, indoor environmental quality and energy efficiency. In some countries, fire safety is also included. Through the application of physical knowledge and its combination with information coming from other disciplines, the field helps to understand the physical phenomena governing building parts, building envelope, whole building and built environment performance, although for the last the wording `urban physics? is used. Building physics has a real impact on performance-based building design. This volume on `Applied Building Physics? discusses the heat, air and moisture performance metrics that affect building design, construction and retrofitting.
Just like building physics, performance based building design was hardly an issue before the energy crises of the 1970ies. With the need to upgrade energy efficiency, the interest in overall building performance grew. The term «performance» encompasses all building-related physical properties and qualities that are predictable during the design stage and controllable during and after construction. The term «predictable» demands calculation tools and physical models that allow evaluating a design, whereas «controllable» presumes the existence of measuring methods available on site. The basis for a system of performance arrays are the functional demands, the needs for accessibility, safety, well-being, durability, energy efficiency and sustainability and the requirements imposed by the usage of a building. In continuation of Vol. 1 this second volume discusses light-weight construction with wooden and metal elements, roofing systems, facades, and ends with finishes and the overall risk analysis. Most chapters build on a same scheme: overview, overall performance evaluation, design and construction. The work is absolutely recommended to undergraduates and graduates in architectural and building engineering, though also building engineers, who want to refresh their knowledge, may benefit. The level of discussion assumes the reader has a sound knowledge of building physics, along with a background in structural engineering, building materials and building construction. Where and when needed, input and literature from over the world was used, reason why each chapter ends listing references and literature.