wall

The application of a continuous thermal insulation on the external face of building walls ameliorates the thermal performance of external walls and alleviates problems related to thermal bridges. However a further improvement of this insulation system may be achieved by using ventilated walls, which consist of an open ended cavity placed between an insulating board {directly applied on the external side of outer walls) and an external cladding.

This Update discusses the various factors that affect sound transmission through different types of concrete block walls, including single-leaf walls, double-leaf walls and walls with gypsum board attached. Knowledge of these factors will assist construction practitioners to design and build walls with high levels of acoustic performance economically.

Concrete may be cold and hard, but some energy- efficient builders have been warming to insulating concrete forms (ICFs). As ICFs become more common, home performance professionals need to know how they're built and how well they work

The rainscreen principle is not new. lt was proposed as early as the mid sixties by researchers of the Division of Building Research of the National Research Council of Canada and the basic principles were developed. lt has been applied to certain exterior wall types but the performance of rainscreen walls remains largely unknown because of the absence of engineering data.

Use of Brick Veneer/Steel Stud wall systems has preceded adequate forma} scientific investigation into its long term serviceability and safety. Of particular interest to many parties is the performance of the wall system under typical winter conditions encountered in cold climate regions of Canada. In this study, experimental investigations of three types of Brick Veneer/Steel Stud wall systems were performed using a specially built apparatus used to provide air pressure, temperature and vapour pressure differentials across test specimens.

The rainscreen principle is not new. It was proposed as early as the mid sixties by researchers of the Division of Building Research of the National Research Council of Canada and the basic principles were developed. It has been applied to certain exterior wall types but it remains largely unknown because of the absence of factual data to support the claims of performance.