STUDY QUESTIONS FOR THE COURSE

B UILDING TECHNOLOGY – ADVANCED COURSE AF2401 - 2022

The questions are given to strengthen the learning in the course.

QUESTIONS TO
“THE BUILDING ENVELOPE AND THE FOUR CONTROL LAYERS
Which are the four control layers?
Which processes are they supposed to deal with?

Is it a distinction between damp and water? Explain!

I
Pressure differences over the building envelope. What is meant by the “stack effect”? T

II
What is meant by driving rain?
How is a building influenced by driving rain?

III
What is meant by a cavity wall?
Give examples on different types of drained-screened wall systems.

Explain about the control layers in a wall of this kind.

In a cavity wall – how is drying made possible?

What is the meaning of having a cavity tray (or water diverter) in a cavity wall?

Can something be explained about the critical parts in the assembly (or excecution) of a high
performance filled cavity wall?

Why is it so important to avoid air movements around the thermal insulation boards in a cavity
wall.

IV
About the mass storage wall systems
Give some examples
Where can we find the control layers in this kind of walls?
What is meant by “dry stone walls”?
What kind of rain protection will they give?

What tells the example of the brick wall with different kinds of thermal insulation on the inner
side about the process of moistening and drying of a compact brick wall?

In the example of water absorption of a brick and a concrete wall, what are the consequences of
water absorption and what are the consequences of high run off? (Look at the questions in the
slide).

1
V
Water in the ground
How can you explain different levels of water in the ground.
Is the earth deposit important in this case?
What is capillary action?
Where does it happen?
What is rising damp?
How happens transport of salt by rising damp?
How can efflorence of salt happen?
How is the visibility of this related to the relative humidity?
What is frost erosion?
What is the mechanism?
What is spalling?
How can we hinder capillary moisture transport in a basement wall?
Explain about a damp-proof coarse in a basement.

VI
How can we understand the temperatures in the ground in winter and summer solstice
respectively?
What is the problem with frozen soil?
Why does it happen?
How can problems be avoided?

VII
Explain the idea with the crawl space foundation, or what is meant by a crawl space foundation?
What is meant by a slab on ground foundation?
How can a heating system be incorporated in the ground slab?
What is meant by a basement foundation?
Explain about moisture protection in a basement.
Explain about thermal insulation of a basement wall.

VIII
Explain about different ways for damp or water to pass the air gap in a cavity wall:
The summer damp case.
Water the flows on the inner of the outer leaf and rises at the inner leaf
The possible problem with wall ties.
Problems with gaps in the thermal insulation
What may be the problem with indoor air reaching the gap in the cavity wall?
What is the problem with “air washing” round the batts of thermal insulation?
What happens when a thermal insulation material becomes damp?

IX
What is meant by perfect wall barrier systems?
EIFS or ETICS – what is that?
What happens in case water enters the inner of a wall of this type?
Explain differences in placing the vapour membrane depending on the climate.
Explain design of a wall to window connection in different climates.

X
How is a joint seal designed?
What determines the ideal width of a joint seal between two concrete elements in a wall?
Why is it good having a threshold in a horizontal joint?

2
How can a horizontal joint be drained?
How is the joint between a window frame and a wall designed?
Explain about damage in joints.

And finally: Be familiar with “the weather barrier concepts”.