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UCL Paper_Moisture Control Design_Dec 20_HK_MD(1).pdf (1.91 MB)
Moisture control design has to respond to all relevant hygrothermal loads
Moisture related damage is still a formidable cost factor in the building sector. Besides installation deficiencies, moisture control design failures are the most frequent reasons for moisture problems. Therefore, adequate moisture control analysis has become the key for sustainable buildings. However, by focusing on vapour diffusion only other important moisture loads such as driving rain, construction moisture or air infiltration are mostly neglected. Therefore, international moisture control standards often refer to simulation models for more realistic analysis, leaving many practitioners wondering how to handle these tools. To overcome this dilemma, the updated German moisture control standard has introduced a three-pathway approach for design evaluation: 1st deemed to satisfy list, 2nd restricted Glaser calculation and 3rd fully fledged hygrothermal simulation. The third pathway includes the option to account for small leaks or imperfections in building envelope components. Guidelines in other countries are also embracing similar moisture control approaches which gives hope for more durable and sustainable building design. To reach this aim, moisture control should also become an integral part of the design process instead of a secondary chore.
History
Publication title
UCL Open: EnvironmentPagination
1-17ISSN
2632-0886Department/School
School of Architecture and DesignPublisher
UCL Press Ltd.Place of publication
United KingdomRights statement
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Repository Status
- Open