http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca Task 2: Literature Review: Building Envelope, Heating, and Ventilating Practices and Technologies for Extreme Climates B-1239.2 M.N.A. Saïd December 2006 Copyright Notice / Droits d'auteur PERD-079 - Engineered Building Envelope Systems to Accommodate High Performance Insulation with Outdoor/Indoor Climate Extremes Task 2: Literature Review Building Envelope, Heating, and Ventilating Practices and Technologies for Extreme Climates M. N. A. Saïd, Ph.D., P.Eng. Institute for Research in Construction National Research Council Canada Ottawa, Ontario, Canada December 2006 DISCLAIMER This report presents a review of literature. The views reported are those expressed in the original documents and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Institute of Research in Construction of the National Research Council Canada. PERD-079: Task 2 - Literature Review ii Table of Contents List of Figures and Tables................................................................................................... v List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................... vi Executive Summary.................................................................................................... viii 1. Introduction................................................................................................................. 1 Background................................................................................................................................1 Materials: Temperature and Moisture Effects............................................................................2 Moisture Control: Northern Regions .........................................................................................5 Moisture Control: Coastal Regions..........................................................................................10 2. Building Envelope Technologies ........................................................................ 12 Canadian Technology ..............................................................................................................12 Advanced Framing Technology ............................................................................... 12 Upgraded Thermal & Air Tightness Wall Systems.................................................. 13 Best Practices in Wood Frame Envelopes............................................................... 18 Building Envelopes: Northern Canada ....................................................................................21 Building Envelope Examples, Northern Canada..................................................... 22 Energy Efficient Houses, Northern Canada ............................................................ 28 Design Considerations and Strategies..................................................................... 29 Foundation Design Considerations ......................................................................... 34 Roof Design Considerations .................................................................................... 38 Building Envelopes: Humid Climates......................................................................................41 Indigenous Architecture...........................................................................................................42 Arctic Indigenous Architecture................................................................................ 43 Maritime Climate Indigenous Architecture ............................................................. 45 Sustainability Concepts in Indigenous Architecture................................................ 46 Global Practices in Building Envelopes...................................................................................47 Arctic and Antarctic Regions................................................................................... 47 Scandinavian Region ............................................................................................... 57 Japan........................................................................................................................ 59 Zero-Energy Sustainable Houses.............................................................................................60 The Eagle Lake Healthy House................................................................................ 60 The Saskatoon Super-Insulated House .................................................................... 62 The Alberta Sustainable Home ................................................................................ 64 The Passivhaus - Europe ......................................................................................... 66 The Hanover House ................................................................................................. 67 The Klingenberg House ........................................................................................... 70 Innovative Wall Assemblies ....................................................................................................74 Cold Climate ............................................................................................................ 74 Hot Humid Climate.................................................................................................. 76 PERD-079: Task 2 - Literature Review iii 3. Heating, Ventilation, and Energy Technologies.............................................. 79 Heating and Ventilating ...........................................................................................................79 HVAC Design Considerations ................................................................................. 79 Ventilation: Design Considerations......................................................................... 80 District Heating Considerations.............................................................................. 83 Indoor Air Quality and Health .................................................................................................83 Mould ....................................................................................................................... 83 The Eagle Lake Healthy House................................................................................ 84 Indoor Air Quality: Northwest Territories Housing................................................ 84 Energy......................................................................................................................................85 4. Socio-Economic Issues .......................................................................................... 87 The Vegetation Ecosystem.......................................................................................................87 The People ...............................................................................................................................88 5. Conclusion................................................................................................................. 90 Appendix A: Literature Search Approach ............................................................. 97 References...................................................................................................................... 99 Endnotes ....................................................................................................................... 108 PERD-079: Task 2 - Literature Review iv List of Figures and Tables Figures Figure 1. Assemblies of Prefabricated Walls: 1995 Practice and Proposed Walls by Burch et al. (Source: Burch et al. 1995, Figures 1 and 5). ................................................................... 9 Figure 2. Thermally Upgraded Single Stud Wall.................................................................... 14 Figure 3. Double Stud Walls Assembly................................................................................. 16 Figure 4. Standoff Wall System ............................................................................................ 17 Figure 5. Ceiling Assembly, Nunavik, Quebec....................................................................... 23 Figure 6. Wall Assembly, Nunavik, Quebec .......................................................................... 24 Figure 7. Floor Assembly, Nunavik, Quebec ......................................................................... 24 Figure 8. A Sami Family and Hut around 1900 ...................................................................... 44 Figure 9. An Example of a Dome Building and Anatomy ....................................................... 48 Figure 10. Wall Assembly of the Finnish Energy-Efficient House........................................... 58 Tables Table 1. Assemblies of Prefabricated Walls: 1995 Practice and Proposed Walls by Burch et al.............................................................................................................................. 8 Table 2. Rated and Whole-Wall RSI (R) Values of SIP and Wood Frame Walls............ 28 Table 3. R-Values, Finnish Building Code for Detached Houses .................................... 58 Table 4. Range of R-Values of Insulation Used in Houses in Japan’s Cold Regions ...... 60 Table 5. Passive House Standard for Low-Energy Houses for the Central Europe Climate ................................................................................................................................... 66 Table 6. The