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Full-Text Articles in Construction Engineering

Quantifying The Effect Of Passive Solar Design In Traditional New England Architecture, Peter Levy Aug 2014

Quantifying The Effect Of Passive Solar Design In Traditional New England Architecture, Peter Levy

Masters Theses

Passive solar design can be an effective means of reducing conditioning loads in residential buildings by utilizing free solar heat during the heating season, and blocking unwanted solar heat during the cooling season. The objective of this thesis was to use energy modeling software to simulate the effect that incorporating passive solar design strategies into typical New England style houses would have on their energy usage for heating and cooling. The designs that were studied were Capes, Colonials, and Saltboxes. Four versions of increasing energy efficiency were studied for each style. After measuring baseline energy usage for each model, four …


Evaluating The Benefits Of And Barriers To Building With Structural Insulated Panels, Alison E. Moynihan Jan 2014

Evaluating The Benefits Of And Barriers To Building With Structural Insulated Panels, Alison E. Moynihan

Student Showcase

Changing climate and increasing costs of energy are putting pressure on the building industry to adapt to higher performance building systems. One technology that can improve building performance is structural insulated panel (SIP) construction. The purpose of my practicum is to evaluate the possible benefits of SIPs and to identify obstacles to SIPs gaining a larger portion of the building industry. Using the information from practicum I intend to evaluate current design tools and suggest my own tools. The benefits of SIPs are lower thermal bridging and air infiltration leading to lower operating costs and minimal material usage. Findings include …