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Gravity is the driving force behind drainage. The “down” direction harnesses the force of gravity and the “out” direction gets the water away from the building enclosure assemblies, openings,… Read More

Window and doors are typically installed using one of two approaches: 1) barrier system installation or 2) a drained system installation. Barrier installations do not provide for forgiveness to water… Read More

“Rain is the single most important factor to control in order to construct a durable structure.”    - Dr. Joseph LstiburekDrainage planes (also referred to as “water resistive barrier” or WRB) are… Read More

Keeping soil gas (radon, water vapor, herbicides, termiticides, methane, etc.) out of foundations cannot be done by building hole-free foundations because hole-free foundations cannot be built. Soil… Read More

Water managed foundation systems prevent the build-up of water against foundation walls, thereby eliminating hydrostatic pressure. No pressure, no force to push water through a hole.Groundwater… Read More

Joseph Lstiburek's classic list of building practices not recommended for hot-humid climates. This list was first posted on Building Science Corporation's website in 1997.10. Vented Attics and Vented… Read More

This list contains some of the basic characteristics that should be met in all high performance homes. It has been used as our baseline criteria for all of BSC’s Building America projects.This list,… Read More

  2x6 framing XPS insulating sheathing Fiberglass or cellulose cavity insulation in stud space   Scoring: How It Rates The scoring of each wall system is based on the following five categories. A… Read More

Houses are environmental separators – they keep the outside out and the inside in.   Houses have walls, roofs and foundations that each have to be connected to each other (Figure 1).  To function as… Read More