Building Envelope

Building a Better Wall: Principles and Practices for a High-Performance Home

• 

  Patrick Huelman

  Cold Climate Housing Coordinator
  University of Minnesota
  St. Paul, Minnesota

High-performance enclosure systems are fundamental to efficient, durable, healthy, and sustainable homes. This session will dive into the critical functions and attributes of the four key control layers: thermal, water, air, and vapor. Then using these principles, we will look at leading high-performance enclosure strategies and applications for wall systems. The session will highlight three robust, affordable, and high-performance wall systems that will work in any climate zone.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the critical role of thermal, water, air, and vapor control layers
• Understand the critical relationships and importance of the order for these layers
• Be able recognize the proper application of these layers to a wall assembly