Résumé | As building codes become more stringent in terms of thermal performance of building envelopes, and higher insulated wall assemblies are becoming more common, the heat flow due to major thermal bridges can contribute a significant portion of the total heat transfer through a building façade (Ghobadi, Moore, & Lacasse, 2019). Thermal bridge is a term used to describe a feature within a building façade which facilitates the transport of thermal energy through the envelope at a higher rate compared to the surrounding construction (ISO 10211, 2017). Thermal bridges can be found where there are changes in material properties or geometries that result in discrepancies in material thicknesses. Thermal bridges within buildings to name a few, can be found around windows, slab edges and in repeating studs within a wall. With building designers working to increase the overall energy efficiency of buildings, having tools to quantify the thermal performance of building façade during the design stage of a building is important. In quantifying the thermal performance of a building envelope during the design phase, project teams are able to identify major thermal bridges, and possibly change or adapt their design to mitigate the effects of the thermal bridge. |
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