Project: Thermal Break Strategies for Cladding Systems in Building Structures

Check out this developing project!

http://www.coe.neu.edu/Research/thermal-breaks/project_summary.html

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Thermal Bridging in Concrete

The thermal bridging group is progressing on their next publication through ASCE. One new point of focus in this publication is thermal bridging through other materials. One common building material that is often overlooked as a thermal bridge is concrete. 

Although concrete isn’t nearly as conductive as steel, where it acts as a bridge it can still cause substantial energy loss. One of the most common examples of this is at balconies. Often the balcony is merely a cantilever of the main floor slab. Because of this, there is no continuous envelope or insulation barrier. In high rise condos and apartments, these can almost be visualized as fins on a radiator, as they behave in much the same way. 

One way to avoid or reduce this bridge is with a proprietary break. These systems are designed to still transfer the cantilever forces (shear and moment), while reducing the bridging to isolated stainless steel bars. Although widely used in Europe, these systems are not commonly found in the states. The Thermal Bridging group will be looking at these cantilever concrete conditions more closely in the next publication.

Thermal Bridging Working Group update by web liaison Raquel Ranieri, P.E., LEED AP BD+C. Read more recent articles about thermal bridging here.

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Like a Radiator: Thermal Bridging

Some architectural gems have recently taken a lot of heat for loosing a lot of heat. Thermal bridging is a pervasive problem for all structures with monolithic slab cantilevering balconies. The authors of this article hosted at buildingscience.com have turned their infra-red camera's on Chicago's iconic Aqua tower. Beyond simply highlighting shortcomings, some more efficient alternatives are proposed.

http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi062-thermal-bridges-redux/view

Link provided by committee member Kathrina Simonen, R.A., S.E, LEED-AP, assistant professor at the University of Washington.

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Thermal Breaks for Brick Shelf Angles

The Brick Industry Association (BIA) has an article in their most recent issue of Brick in Architecture magazine which includes information and detailing of thermal breaks for brick shelf angles in veneer construction over cold-formed steel.  

The link to the magazine: http://www.gobrick.com/Portals/25/docs/Publications/Brick%20In%20Architecture/BinA%2069-1%20Final%20PDF.pdf

 

The article begins on page 9; the section entitled “Thermal Design” begins near the end of page 13, and the details are on pages 12 and 13.

 

BIA has recommended that AISI reference this article in their upcoming rewrite of the steel stud brick veneer design guide; I found out about it in a memo received this morning with a BIA review of the old design guide.

 

Provided by committee member Don Allen, P.E.

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Thermal Bridging Working Group Update

The Thermal Bridging Working Group is actively trying to spread awareness of thermal bridging, and how structural engineers can address it, to help make more efficient building envelopes and reduce unnecessary energy losses. This has been aided with their recent publication in AISC’s ModernSteel Construction. Learn more about this free resource on our previous post or download the file electronically from MSC. 

Detailing to prevent or reduce thermal bridging is much more mainstream outside of the United States, so the group is working to bring local consultants up to speed, and make all designers aware of the issues and impacts associated with envelope details. A recent article in Building Science emphasizes the importance of proper detailing to prevent thermal bridges, and points out some common details. This article by Joseph Lstiburek can be found here.

In the meantime, the group is working on their next publication, which is a larger guide to thermal bridging. This new guide will focus on all material types including wood, masonry, and concrete. They are also hoping to arrange some presentations throughout the country over the next year. Stay posted for more information regarding upcoming speaking dates.

Article by Thermal Bridging Working Group web liaison Raquel Ranieri, P.E., LEED AP BD+C, senior associate with Walter P Moore in Los Angeles, CA. For more information about the Thermal Bridging Working Group please refer to our website.

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Thermal Bridging Solutions in MSC

The Thermal Steel Bridging Working Group has teamed with the American Insititute of Steel Construction (AISC) Thermal Steel Bridging Task Committee to publish an informative inset in Modern Steel Construction titled "Thermal Bridging Solutions: Minimizing Structural Steel's Impact on Building Envelope Energy Transfer." Download a free copy here: http://msc.aisc.org/globalassets/modern-steel/archives/2012/03/2012v03_thermal_bridging.pdf 

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Thermal Bridging

Thermal bridging occurs when materials that are poor insulators are in contact which creates a path for heat flow. Heat loss due to thermal bridging is a real concern where conductive materials, including those used for structure, penetrate fully or in part, the envelope of a building. Steel is highly conductive and is therefore the focus of the Thermal Steel Bridging Task Committee (TSBTC), which is hosted by the SEI Sustainability Committee. The original Thermal Bridging Working Group (TBWG) is now focusing on thermal bridging issues that result from materials other than steel.  The purpose of the TBWG and the TSBTC is to define and quantify the problem of thermal bridging, identify solutions, and communicate findings to the building design and construction community. We have set the following goals:

1. Review existing and current research on thermal steel bridging, particularly research that aims to define the magnitude of energy loss.
2. Review what other countries are doing to address thermal bridging.
3. Identify and contact manufacturers that provide products that can be used as thermal breaks.
4. Review any code implications of integrating thermal break material into building details.
5. Review energy codes to determine the code requirements, if any, that relate to thermal bridging.
6. Review how various energy modeling software programs handle thermal steel bridging.
7. Compile options for details, including details developed by practitioners.
8. Identify opportunities for presentations, papers, and articles.
9. Write and publish a document, in conjunction with AISC, about thermal steel bridging. 

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