Potential of wind barriers to assure airtightness of wood-frame low energy constructions

• Published in: Energy and buildings Vol. 42; no. 12; pp. 2376 - 2385
• Main Authors: Langmans, Jelle, Klein, Ralf, De Paepe, Michel, Roels, Staf
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier B.V 01.12.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Airtightness; Applied sciences; Barriers; Bioclimatic building; Building structure; Buildings; Buildings. Public works; Construction; Construction (buildings and works); Exact sciences and technology; Exterior airtightness; Fiberboard; Field study; Houses; Laboratory measurements; Leakage; Sealing; Shells; Types of buildings; Wind barrier; Wood structure; Wood-frame construction; Wood-frame construction; Laboratory measurements; Exterior airtightness; Wind barrier; Field study; Airtightness; Frame construction; In situ test; Measurement result; Laboratory measurement; Wind break; Wood construction; Pressurizing; Gas permeability; Low energy building; System description; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0378-7788
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2010.08.021

This paper investigates the airtightness of a wood-frame passive house during the consecutive construction stages. Aim is to investigate whether an acceptable airtightness can be achieved by the external wind barrier only. The wind barrier consists of a promising new type of asphalt impregnated fibreboards. To quantify the different leakage paths, the study applies the reductive sealing technique. In total 12 pressurisation tests have been conducted during the construction process. In addition to these field tests on the entire building, the paper discusses the results from laboratory measurements on specimens of the wind barrier including typical joints, in order to verify the influence of different possible types of local air leakage paths. The results reveal that the external wind barrier has a significant airtightness. Moreover, by sealing only the most critical joints of the outer shell, the overall airtightness of the studied case fulfils the requirements of the passive house standard (less than 0.6 air changes per hour (ACH) at 50 Pa). The results presented in this paper, thus, indicate that the proposed solution may have potential to reduce the labour costs required to reach a sufficient level of airtightness.