BUILDING PHYSICS

1. Which are the minimum values of the heat flow resistances for the envelope’s
elements? Which is the condition that has to be accomplished in order to avoid the
interior surface condensation?

Answer:
According to the prescriptions in the C107/3/2005 norm and its subsequent addendums, the
minimum corrected values of the heat flow resistances, given the energy saving condition are:
- Exterior walls R’min=1.8 m2K/W;
- Floors above last storey, underneath terrace roofs or unheated attics
R’min=5.0m2K/W;
- Exterior woodwork R’min=0.77 m2K/W;
- Floors above unheated basements and cellars R’min=2.9 m2K/W;
- Slabs on grade (above the arranged ground level) R’min=4.5 m2K/W;

The condition that has to be accomplished in order to avoid the interior surface condensation
is that the temperature of interior surface must be higher than the dew point temperature.
Tsi   r

2. Please comment on the influence of the vapour barrier on the enhancement of

hygrothermal performances in the case of an exterior wall.

Answer:
Laying-up a vapour barrier on an exterior wall does not influence in a significant manner the
heat flow resistance of that wall. However, the influence of the vapour barrier on the
behaviour of the wall to water vapours diffusion is a positive one, reducing the vapour
pressure. For a multi-layered element, the influence of the vapour barrier is exemplified in
qualitative terms in the graphs presented below:

Initial situation without vapour barrier
(Gypsum board 1.2 cm, Polystyrene 5 cm,
Reinforced concrete 15 cm, Autoclaved
Aerated Concrete 10 cm, Reinforced concrete
10 cm)
Situation after lay-up of vapour barrier
(Gypsum board 1.2 cm, Vapour barrier
0.1cm, Polystyrene 5 cm, Reinforced
concrete 15 cm, Autoclaved Aerated Concrete
10 cm, Reinforced concrete 10 cm)
Note: The diagrams in the above graphs are with qualitative character only; the values in
these graphs are not to be memorized, but merely their shape in the two situations is
important and relevant.

3. Please comment on the advantages and disadvantages of the two solutions for thermal
rehabilitation of an element, by placing the thermal insulation layer at: a) the interior
and b) the exterior of the element. Please make a drawing in order to emphasise the
explanations.

Answer:
From the perspective of total heat flow resistance of an element, placing the thermal
insulation layer at the interior or at the exterior has the same effect, since the total heat flow
resistance of a multi-layered element is evaluated as the sum of individual heat flow
resistance of all constituent layers. However, the position of the thermal insulation layer (at
the interior or at the exterior) influences the temperature of all layers located between the
thermal insulation layer and the exterior. Consequently, in respect to the possibility of
condensation taking place into the element, the two situations are quite different. Placing the
thermal insulation layer at the interior without any vapour barrier, does not eliminate the
possibility of condensation taking place inside the element. At the same time, placing it at the
exterior leads to a situation in which the possible point of condensation shifts towards the
exterior of the element. Thus, by comparison to the first situation (interior thermal insulation),
the possibility of water building-up from one year to another is substantially reduced.

Multi-layered element with thermal insulation Multi-layered element with thermal insulation
at the interior (Gypsum board 1.2 cm, at the exterior (Reinforced concrete 15cm,
Polystyrene 5 cm, Reinforced concrete 15 cm, Autoclaved Aerated Concrete 10 cm,
Autoclaved Aerated Concrete 10 cm, Reinforced concrete 10 cm, Polystyrene 5 cm,
Reinforced concrete 10 cm) Plaster 1cm)
Note: The diagrams in the above graphs are with qualitative character only; the values in
these graphs are not to be memorized, but merely their shape in the two situations is
important and relevant.
4. What does the energetic performance certification of buildings refer to? What data
does the energetic certificate of buildings consists of? Please itemise at least 5 types of
penalties (in respect to the energy efficiency) that may be taken into account for a
building.

Answer:
Energetic performance certification of buildings refers to the process of their examination and
rating by terms of energy consumption in order to assure proper hot water supply, HVAC and
illumination. For each of these consumptions there exist specific performance charts
assigning classes of buildings ranging from letter A to letter G. General energetic
classification of a building is evaluated based on the total energy consumption (sum of energy
consumptions for each individual operation mentioned above). Based on this methodology,
buildings that may be considered as class A are buildings with high energy efficiency, while
those that may be considered as class G have low energy efficiency.

The energetic certificate comprises of identification data of the examined building and of the
energetic expert, the scale for the energetic rating of the examined building and of the
reference one, data on grading of the building and assigning the corresponding energetic class
for each type of specific consumption, penalties considered, recommendations for reducing
the costs through energy performance enhancement and the indices of equivalent CO 2
emission.

Please itemise at least 5 of the total 12 penalties listed below.

Penalties that are considered for a building in the process of their energy efficiency evaluation
are taken into account due to service and maintenance flaws of the building and its
installations, leading to unreasonable usage of energy. Total penalty coefficient is determined
based on the following formula:
p0  p1  p2  p3  p4  p5  p6  p7  p8  p9  p10  p11  p12

where:
p1 - penalty coefficient considering the state of the basement for multifamily buildings;
p2 - penalty coefficient considering the way the entrance door is used for multifamily
buildings;
p3 - penalty coefficient taking into account the condition of mobile envelope elements of the
communal space (stairs) communicating to the exterior or to garbage disposal spaces -
multifamily buildings;
p4 - penalty coefficient considering the condition of the control fittings for heating elements -
in the case of buildings provided with central heating installation with heating elements;
p5 - penalty coefficient that takes into account whether the interior heating installation is
washed/cleaned;
p6 - - penalty coefficient taking into account the existence or lack of disjunction and drain of
heating installation pipes;
p7 - penalty coefficient taking into account the existence or lack of measuring equipment of
energy consumption for heating;
p8 - penalty coefficient considering the condition of exterior finishing on envelope walls;
p9 - penalty coefficient considering the condition of exterior walls from the perspective of
their humidity;
p10 - penalty coefficient taking into account the state of the roof above attic – in the case of
buildings with uninhabited garret;
p11 - penalty coefficient considering the condition of chimney/chimneys for smoke evacuation
- for buildings with individual heating/water heating installations that run on liquid or solid
fuel;
p12 - penalty coefficient considering the capability of ensuring a comfortable amount of fresh
air.

5. Rules for reduction of aerial noise for buildings

Answer:
Reduction of aerial noise for buildings can be accomplished by following the essential rules
mentioned below:
- for buildings located in areas with busy traffic, natural green curtains are to be designed in
the form of hedges, trees, shrubs, etc;
- the lay-out of the buildings is to be designed in appropriate manner so that phenomenon
such as echo and sound reflection to adjacent buildings are avoided;
- starting from design and execution stages, providing holes and openings are to be avoided
(open fireplaces, slots for mailboxes in entrance doors, openings for pipes, cables, etc) as
these can later turn into possible noise sources;
- all penetrations created for pipes (water, gas, etc.) or electric cables into the walls must be
air-tightened; the slots for mailboxes in entrance doors must be closed;
- tightening gaskets shall be provided for doors and windows; exterior doors are to be
provided with sills and tightening gaskets;
- interior surfaces are to be treated with sound proofing materials;
- partitioning wall shell be designed as massive ones and should contain layer/layers of sound
proofing materials.