Building Science Fundamentals
CEUs: 0.4 ICC
Building science is the study of interactions within a building that impact efficiency, comfort, building durability, indoor air quality, and occupant health. Building Science Fundamentals provides a high-level overview into this field of study. With this course, you will have a thorough understanding of basic building science in the areas of building envelope, heat transfer, moisture transfer and air transfer, and will gain 1 CEU in each section for a total of 4 CEUs. You will learn some of the terminology, how energy is used in a residence, and what components make up a building envelope. You will also learn about the flow of heat, air, and moisture through the building envelope and how those energy flows impact the building and its occupants.
Course Outline
| Module 1 | The Building Envelope and the Language of Energy | |
|---|---|---|
This module will define the building envelope and cover some history of home construction and how the building envelope has changed over the years. We will also dive into some terminology and energy terms. | ||
| Unit 1 | Building Science Fundamentals - Course Materials | |
| Unit 2 | Residential Energy Use | |
| Unit 3 | Residential Energy Use Quiz | |
| Unit 4 | Building Envelope Terminology and History | |
| Unit 5 | Building Envelope Terminology and History Quiz | |
| Unit 6 | The Language of Energy | |
| Unit 7 | The Language of Energy Quiz | |
| Module 2 | Heat Transfer, Air Transfer, and Moisture Transfer through the Building Envelope | |
Heat, air and moisture are always moving or transferring from one place to another. Air can transport heat and moisture and impact the durability of a building. Heat transfer can impact air movement as well as cause moisture vapor to become bulk moisture. These three elements impact and affect each other and play a large role in our understanding of building health, safety, comfort, and durability. This module explores all these concepts. | ||
| Unit 1 | Building Science Fundamentals - Course Materials | |
| Unit 2 | What is Energy? | |
| Unit 3 | What is Energy Quiz | |
| Unit 4 | Heat Transfer | |
| Unit 5 | Radiant Heat Transfer | |
| Unit 6 | Heat Transfer Quiz | |
| Unit 7 | Heat Transfer Practice | |
| Unit 8 | Air Flow | |
| Unit 9 | Air Flow Quiz | |
| Unit 10 | Moisture Movement and Human Comfort | |
| Unit 11 | Moisture Movement and Human Comfort Quiz | |
| Module 3 | Building Science Fundamentals Summary | |
In this module we will put it all together and see how the concepts learned all interact with each other. Students will make observations regarding heat/air/moisture flow impacts and their relationship to comfort, durability and indoor air quality. | ||
| Unit 1 | The Tell-Tale House | |
| Unit 2 | Heat, Air and Moisture Flow Impact Observations | |
| Unit 3 | Final Exam: Building Science Fundamentals | |
| Unit 4 | Building Science Fundamentals Course Feedback | |
