We know how to build better and for resilience, but we often ignore building science at our peril according to Dr. Joe Lstiburek.
The BS and Beer group in Atlanta has been doing a great job of gathering inspiring speakers on a variety of Building Science topics. The group recently invited Building Science Corporation founder Dr. Joe Lstiburek to present, and he gave a passionate talk worth listening to about what should be common sense - building durably and smartly to create buildings that last and are safe for those who inhabit them. Joe’s timeframe for durability is 90 years+, rounded to a cool 100.
According to Joe, we know how to build better for fire and water and it’s pretty much mind boggling when we deny physics and don’t do it right. It’s of course also important to build and improve buildings for energy efficiency but only if we first build, in order of priority for:
- Fire
- Structure
- Wind
- Floods
- Contaminants
And then:
Building lasting buildings that are sustainable is also building for resilience. And Joe is blunt. It may sound a bit funny for a moment, but he’s 100% serious in advising the building industry not to do stupid things, including:
- Don’t kill people
- Don’t make people sick
- Don’t kill the building
- Don’t make the building sick
The problem he points out, is that we have hurt people and we have damaged buildings by getting it wrong. Even when we know better and have disastrous, preventable examples.
When we weatherize and trap pollutants and moisture inside buildings, we’re making people sick. When we ventilate where we should not we feed fires and destroy lives and structures.
Some top reminders/advice:
- It’s ok for things to get wet if they dry
- Drying requires an exchange of energy
As we tighten buildings, if we just make buildings energy efficient, as we change the energy flow, we have to change the moisture flow. Or we might make the built environment worse. This is all admittedly easier with new buildings, which is frustrating because there’s so much work to do, and risk of getting it wrong, with existing buildings. There is clearly and sadly no shortage of tragic examples.
Dr. Lstiburek points out several examples of how focusing on one building element or need will short others that mean there might not be a livable building, or a building at all. Part of the problem a real miss on proper prioritization. He walks through some famous and some less known or not known examples of tragic fires, and silly structures in flood-prone areas. We see where cladding space designed for energy efficiency fed fuel to multiple fires, and we review how embers drawn into vented attics have destroyed homes that might not otherwise have burned. One example of poor prioritization is focusing on energy efficiency at the expense of flammability. Another is worrying about something like a shingle warranty where the roof might blow off instead - rendering the warranty concern useless. Still another right be putting vapor barriers where they’re likely to create conditions favorable to mildew and mold growth. We know how to protect building materials better and to dry buildings out if they get wet, and yet we design against wisdom - and science, and health.
We also look at some buildings in flood and hurricane-prone areas where buildings aren’t raised above flood levels or the roofs are somehow tied down to homes with the hope the roof won’t blow away. It’s not hard to agree that IF we want to build in these kids of places, we have to built to acknowledge and mitigate the known and predictable risks.
We have to change the way we build, and we don’t seem to be doing this - which goes against common sense. Dr. Lstiburek words are worth a listen. And a question: Why don’t we do better when we know better, and what will it take to change going forward?
Dr. Lstiburek shares key priorities, important reminders, and wake up calls. But are we listening? Are we and can we collectively think longer term for health and durability?
