Researcher: Brock Conley
The goal of the Vacuum Insulation Panel project is to study the hygrothermal properties of building envelopes in Canada. The project is being facilitated in collaboration with the National Research Council and CANMET Ottawa and involves experimentation done at both the CANMET facility and the Centre for Advanced Building Envelope Research at Carleton University.
The project consists of experimental and simulation studies of different vintages and studying the response of different parameters in the building. Over time, building codes have changed and buildings from different eras of building code have different materials and different levels of insulation.
It is important to consider all of the factors when adding more insulation as the presence of moisture content will lead to long term decay. The in-situ work at CANMET involves exposing samples to real life conditions.
There is a wide range of climate and weather across the country and seasons which allows for an in-depth analysis of how different climates affect the envelope of a building and how different development occur in different parts of Canada in order to accommodate location specific factors to heat loss or moisture content.
The aim of the project is to determine through quantitative analysis which types of retrofits are ideal based on the location and age of the building. The design and incorporation of retrofit construction is focused on durability. The constant evolution of building codes (building codes are updated approximately every 15 years and varies from province to province) requires foresight and critical analysis so that the designs will last the test of time.
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