MOISTURE AND THERMAL DESIGN IN METAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION - A SPECIFICATION ISSUE

摘要

Metal Buildings have been constructed for decades ranging from the pre-war Quonset huts to the current more sophisticated double skinned metal assemblies. The building science problems encountered today with these systems, either derive from a change in building usage that is different than the intended primary occupancy, poor initial moisture control design or poor quality installation workmanship. The use and placement of the air and vapour barriers in building construction, is still generally the least analyzed component by the design team. Due to the nature of the materials, thermal bridging is also a significant problem. This paper focuses on the issues of thermal bridging and air and vapour barrier design in metal buildings as they relate to occupancy and geographic location. The aim is to provide an awareness that thermal, air and moisture control must be major factors of design.