In this issue of Building Science Newsletter: • To Spray Foam Insulation or Not to Spray Foam Insulation • Inflatable skyscrapers • 3-D printed raw earth house • Diaper house • Vermont’s housing crisis • Greening Your Career • our cherished members and more. Plus, welcome Shelterwood Construction
April’s Building Science Newsletter:
• Jason Van Nest’s LOGIC Building Systems
• Aerobarrier time
• The Why and How of a Good Production Process Map
• Slump tests
• The Prouty
• Jobs, jobs, jobs
• and more
Most wood-framed buildings have no insulation on the exterior side of the wall sheathing. Material, usually plywood or oriented strand board (OSB), but sometimes wooden boards, installed on the exterior of wall studs, rafters, or roof trusses; siding or roofing installed on the sheathing—sometimes over strapping to create a rainscreen. That means that the wall sheathing gets cold and wet during the winter.
Fifteen members of the Building Science Guild (BSG) attend the monthly meeting at the Windham Regional Career Center’s Construction/Architecture’s shop featuring Peter Yost’s “Wingnut Testing” experiment on roof venting. The purpose was to explore the appropriateness of a 1-inch code roof vent given variables of pitch, heat, and wind.
Joshua Henry, President of GO Lab, and Guy Payne of SEON, gave a presentation to SEON’s Building Science Guild (BSG) about the planned roll-out of their wood fiber insulation products – loose, batt, and board – which are renewable, biodegradable, non toxic wood fiber insulation for the residential and light commercial construction market. With the close of so many paper mills in Maine, the wood industry has been in search of products and processes that utilizes one of Maine’s primary assets and invigorates new life in the mills.
SEON building science course “Water, Air, and Thermal Continuous Control Layers.” Three different wall systems were constructed highlighting those that are economical and efficient as well as those that carry the least amount of embodied energy. Following satisfactory completion of a few more requirements these members will be the first carpenters to be awarded SEON’s Certification as a High Performance Builder.
AeroBarrier is a stable, non-toxic, aerosol-applied acrylic sealant. It is a patented air sealing system that uses a computerized process to pressurize the building and install the AeroBarrier to seal leaks in the building enclosure from the inside. The particles deposit only at the leak sites and build to form a complete and tight seal, remaining firmly in place for years while staying completely pliable and flexible. Certainly by reducing air leaks through the building envelope, it is possible to reduce energy loss, help mitigate moisture damage, and enhance overall comfort and health of the building.
A Building Science Guild Meeting – the construction drawings for the Groundworks Collaborative building for input from the Guild. There has already been a successful project management review and now Sam is strategically presenting the prints for feedback prior to decisions being “baked-in”.
SEON members joined staff at the Rich Earth Institute’s Research Center to learn of the current research on urine diversion and nutrient reclamation as well as technology and products available for installation to mitigate the effects of inefficient or compromised sewage disposal systems.
The primary use of the funds will be to assist with tuition for those registering for our high performance building training in the fall in Windham County. With this assistance SEON hopes to have a number of our current carpenters certified as Level I High Performance Builders by the end of the year.
