PRINCIPLES/DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
2.4 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PROCESS
These guidelines primarily consist of design guidance and details directed towards the avoidance of
air leakage and insulation system defects. While the use of sound design principles and details is
essential to achieving good thermal performance, their use is not sufficient without a commitment to
quality and performance in the design and construction processes. This commitment must begin in
the first stages of design and continue throughout the construction of the building. The design and
construction of office buildings is a complex process, involving building owners, architects,
engineers, consultants, builders and subtrades, and all of these people have their individual
motivations, concerns and experience. The CSI Manual of Practice presents a good discussion of
these participants and the various relationships that exist between them. Sometimes the
motivations of these participants, conflicts among their goals, and a lack of familiarity with thermal
performance issues lead to some of the envelope performance problems that these guidelines are
attempting to address. This section discusses the design and construction processes and their
relationship to thermal envelope performance.
Motivations and Concerns
The design and construction of an office building is a very complex process involving numerous
players, each with their own particular motivations, concerns and experiences. The process and
the established roles of many of these players can contribute to the occurrence of thermal envelope
performance problems. While the reasons are as complex as the process, part of the problem is
that thermal envelope integrity is not emphasized and recognized as a critical factor throughout the
design and construction of an office building. To some designers and builders, simply requiring a
certain level of insulation, or the installation of an air barrier material or a quality sealant, is all that is
needed. The importance of purposefully designing the insulation and air barrier systems as integral
parts of the envelope is not recognized, nor is the need for a commitment to these systems from the
very beginning or the necessity to develop straightforward, buildable details in order to make these
systems work. Without a strong emphasis on thermal envelope integrity, decisions will be made or
not made that result in thermal defects, and it will be too late for any alternative details to be
developed to correct these defects.
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