Applied Building Physics

Bad experiences with construction quality, the energy crises of 1973 and 1979, complaints about 'sick buildings', thermal, acoustical, visual and olfactory discomfort, the move towards more sustainability, have all accelerated the development of a field, which until 35 years ago was hardly more than an academic exercise: building physics. The societal pressure to diminish energy consumption in buildings without impairing usability acted as a trigger to activate the whole notion of performance based design and construction. Through the application of existing physical knowledge and the combination with information coming from other disciplines, the field helps to understand the physical performance of building parts, buildings and the built environment, and translates it into correct design and construction. As with all engineering sciences, Building Physics is oriented towards application, which is why, after a first book on fundamentals a second volume examines performance rationale and performance requirements. Outdoor and indoor climate conditions are described and calculation values are discussed, the performance concept is specified at the building level and at the building envelope level, and heat-air-moisture material properties are defined.

Die Energiekrise der 1970er Jahre, häufig auftretende Feuchteprobleme, Klagen über das Sick-Building-Syndrom und mangelnden Komfort hinsichtlich Raumklima und Behaglichkeit und nicht zuletzt das Bemühen um Nachhaltigkeit haben die Bauphysik zu einem Innovationsmotor auf dem Gebäudesektor gemacht. Dabei war die gesellschaftliche Forderung nach Energieeinsparung in Gebäuden ohne Gebrauchseinschränkungen der Auslöser für die ganzheitliche Planung. Wie alle Ingenieurwissenschaften ist auch die Bauphysik anwendungsorientiert, weshalb sich nach einem ersten Buch über die Grundlagen das vorliegende zweite Buch mit den Hintergründen der Gebrauchstauglichkeit und den Anforderungen an Energieeffizienz in Gebäuden befasst. Außenklimabedingungen und Raumklimaberechnungen werden diskutiert, Energieverluste und -gewinne werden für Gebäude und separat für die Gebäudehülle untersucht. Die wichtigen physikalischen Eigenschaften für den gekoppelten Wärme- und Feuchtetransport durch Baukonstruktionen werden für zahlreiche Materialien aufgeführt. Für das Buch stützt sich der Autor auf seine Erfahrungen aus 35 Jahren Lehre der Bauphysik für Architekten und Bauingenieure und 40 Jahre Tätigkeit in der Forschung und als Beratender Ingenieur.

Bad experiences with construction quality, the energy crises of 1973 and 1979,complaints about `sick buildings?, thermal, acoustical, visual and olfactory discomfort, the need for good air quality, the move towards more sustainability ? all these have accelerated the development of a field that, for a long time, was hardly more than an academic exercise: building physics. The discipline embraces domains such as heat and mass transfer, building acoustics, lighting, indoor environmental quality and energy efficiency. In some countries, fire safety is also included. Through the application of physical knowledge and its combination with information coming from other disciplines, the field helps to understand the physical phenomena governing building parts, building envelope, whole building and built environment performance, although for the last the wording `urban physics? is used. Building physics has a real impact on performance-based building design. This volume on `Applied Building Physics? discusses the heat, air and moisture performance metrics that affect building design, construction and retrofitting.

Note: New editions of this book have been published: the 2nd edition in 2012, the 3rd edition in 2017, and the 4th edition in September 2023. Bad experiences with construction quality, the energy crises of 1973 and 1979, complaints about 'sick buildings', thermal, acoustical, visual and olfactory discomfort, the move towards more sustainability, have all accelerated the development of a field, which until 35 years ago was hardly more than an academic exercise: building physics. Through the application of existing physical knowledge and the combination with information coming from other disciplines, the field helps to understand the physical performance of building parts, buildings and the built environment, and translates it into correct design and construction. This book is the result of thirty years teaching, research and consultancy activity of the author. The book discusses the theory behind the heat and mass transport in and through building components. Steady and non steady state heat conduction, heat convection and thermal radiation are discussed in depth, followed by typical building-related thermal concepts such as reference temperatures, surface film coefficients, the thermal transmissivity, the solar transmissivity, thermal bridging and the periodic thermal properties. Water vapour and water vapour flow and moisture flow in and through building materials and building components is analyzed in depth, mixed up with several engineering concepts which allow a first order analysis of phenomena such as the vapour balance, the mold, mildew and dust mites risk, surface condensation, sorption, capillary suction, rain absorption and drying. In a last section, heat and mass transfer are combined into one overall model staying closest to the real hygrothermal response of building components, as observed in field experiments. The book combines the theory of heat and mass transfer with typical building engineering applications. The line from theory to application is dressed in a correct and clear way. In the theory, oversimplification is avoided. This book is the result of thirty years teaching, research and consultancy activity of the author.

Bad experiences with construction quality, the energy crises of 1973 and 1979, complaints about 'sick buildings', thermal, acoustical, visual and olfactory discomfort, the move towards more sustainability, have all accelerated the development of a field, which until 35 years ago was hardly more than an academic exercise: building physics. The societal pressure to diminish energy consumption in buildings without impairing usability acted as a trigger to activate the whole notion of performance based design and construction. Through the application of existing physical knowledge and the combination with information coming from other disciplines, the field helps to understand the physical performance of building parts, buildings and the built environment, and translates it into correct design and construction. As with all engineering sciences, Building Physics is oriented towards application, which is why, after a first book on fundamentals a second volume examines performance rationale and performance requirements. Outdoor and indoor climate conditions are described and calculation values are discussed, the performance concept is specified at the building level and at the building envelope level, and heat-air-moisture material properties are defined.

Bad experiences with construction quality, the energy crises of 1973 and 1979, complaints about "sick buildings", thermal, acoustical, visual and olfactory discomfort, the need for good air quality, the move towards energy efficiency, decarbonization and sustainability - all these have accelerated the development of a discipline that, for a long time, was hardly more than an academic exercise: building physics. The discipline embraces domains such as heat and mass transfer, building acoustics, lighting, indoor environmental quality, energy efficiency, and, in some countries, fire safety. Through the application of physical knowledge and its combination with information coming from other disciplines, building physics helps to under-stand the physical phenomena governing building parts, building envelope, whole building and built environment performance - called urban physics. Today, building physics has be-come a key player on the road to highly performing new buildings and renovations. The first book deals with heat, air and moisture transport in building parts or assemblies and whole buildings with emphasis on the building engineering applications. The second book on applied building physics focuses on the question of what a well-balanced building performance consists of. Here, the environmental loads on buildings are explained - i.e. all those parameters that describe the external and internal environmental conditions, with an emphasis on practical implementation. Then follows a comprehensive presentation of those performance requirements that are important at the whole-building level, mainly considering thermal, acoustic, visual and olfactory comfort, indoor air quality, energy consumption, durability, economy and sustainability. This is followed by an in-depth discussion of the requirements regarding thermal, air and moisture behaviour as well as the measured variables at the level of the building construction and components. The analyses and calculations described in this book result in sustainable buildings made of functional and durable building constructions, with comfortable and healthy indoor climate. Compared to the previous editions, both books have been expanded to include the physical determination of the thermal conductivity of materials, together with an in-depth discussion of all the effects of thicker insulation layers. Additional information has been added on wind pressure and the evaluation of condensation inside the building components, while a new chapter on material properties has been included. Both volumes, including the figures, have been revised and restructured where necessary. (Package: Print + eBook)

The energy crises of the 1970ies, the persisting moisture problems, the complaints about sick buildings, thermal, visual and olfactory discomfort, and the move towards more sustainability in building construction pushed Building Physics to the frontline of building innovation. The societal pressure to diminish energy consumption in buildings without degrading usability acted as a trigger that activated the whole notion of performance based design and construction. As all engineering sciences, Building Physics is oriented towards application, reason why, after a first book on fundamentals, this second tome looks at the performance rationale and performance requirements. The outdoor and indoor climate conditions are described and calculation values are discussed, the performance concept is specified at the building level, at the building envelope level and at the materials` level. Definability in an engineering way, predictability at the design stage and controllability are the measures of concepts` quality. Thus, the author gives a practical guide of the performance approach which helps consulting engineers, architects and contractors guaranteeing building quality. This book is the result of 35 years of teaching architectural, building and civil engineers, coupled to 40 years of experience, research and consultancy.

While the first volume on building physics deals with the physical principles of heat, air and moisture behaviour of buildings, building structures and components, this second volume on applied building physics focuses on the question of what the desired performance of buildings consists of. To achieve this, knowledge of the external environmental effects and the internal live loads to which buildings are subjected is a necessary first step. Subsequently, the performance requirements and the physical correspondences are deepened with the determination of their physical parameters, at the levels of buildings, building structures and building components. Compared to the second edition, the discussion of criteria is not limited to thermal comfort, but also includes acoustic, visual and olfactory aspects. Likewise, the indoor air quality is considered in a broader way. Analyses and calculations result in sustainable buildings with a comfortable indoor climate from functional and durable building constructions. Compared to the second edition, the text for the third edition has been reorganised, corrected, revised and expanded where appropriate. A useful appendix for quick reference contains standard values of material properties for a wide range of building materials. The analyses and calculations described in this book result in sustainable buildings made of functional and durable building constructions, with comfortable and healthy indoor climate and air quality. Compared to the second edition the text in this third edition has been reshuffled, corrected, reworked and extended where appropriate.