Search Menu
DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Search Scholarly Publications

Title: Determination and Assessment of Optimum Internal Thermal Insulation for Masonry Walls in Historic Multifamily Buildings

Abstract

A large portion of existing building stock is comprised of load-bearing masonry buildings, particularly in the Midwest and on the East Coast, though such buildings are distributed across the US. Most of them have uninsulated walls or suffer from insufficient thermal insulation materials. These buildings are inseparable parts of the cultural, social, and economic characteristics of their cities. Due to heritage and preservation concerns, zoning, and space restrictions, they cannot be retrofitted with exterior insulation. Interior insulation must therefore be considered as an alternative. Lack of insulation directly results in energy waste as well as heat loss and gain. Furthermore, it adversely affects heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) loads, equipment sizing, indoor air quality, and thermal comfort for residents. The objective of this study is to simulate and evaluate the effects of various internal thermal insulation materials and strategies on mass masonry load-bearing walls in multifamily buildings with attention to various variables and parameters. It not only addresses the energy performance and cost savings associated with an interior insulation retrofit, but also outlines other variables and parameters that are factors in the selection of optimum insulation material, including installations costs, payback periods, useful internal space loss, and options formore » the depth of the interior insulation retrofit. In conclusion, the audience for this paper is diverse: homeowners, contractors and remodelers, architects and designers, engineers, housing and preservation authorities, and more can benefit from understanding the results outlined in this study.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [2]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL (United States)
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1471946
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Architectural Engineering
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 24; Journal Issue: 3; Journal ID: ISSN 1076-0431
Publisher:
American Society of Civil Engineers
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
42 ENGINEERING

Citation Formats

Amirzadeh, Amir, Strand, Richard K., Hammann, Ralph E., and Bhandari, Mahabir S. Determination and Assessment of Optimum Internal Thermal Insulation for Masonry Walls in Historic Multifamily Buildings. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000320.
Copy to clipboard
Amirzadeh, Amir, Strand, Richard K., Hammann, Ralph E., & Bhandari, Mahabir S. Determination and Assessment of Optimum Internal Thermal Insulation for Masonry Walls in Historic Multifamily Buildings. United States. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000320
Copy to clipboard
Amirzadeh, Amir, Strand, Richard K., Hammann, Ralph E., and Bhandari, Mahabir S. Sat . "Determination and Assessment of Optimum Internal Thermal Insulation for Masonry Walls in Historic Multifamily Buildings". United States. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000320. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1471946.
Copy to clipboard
@article{osti_1471946,
title = {Determination and Assessment of Optimum Internal Thermal Insulation for Masonry Walls in Historic Multifamily Buildings},
author = {Amirzadeh, Amir and Strand, Richard K. and Hammann, Ralph E. and Bhandari, Mahabir S.},
abstractNote = {A large portion of existing building stock is comprised of load-bearing masonry buildings, particularly in the Midwest and on the East Coast, though such buildings are distributed across the US. Most of them have uninsulated walls or suffer from insufficient thermal insulation materials. These buildings are inseparable parts of the cultural, social, and economic characteristics of their cities. Due to heritage and preservation concerns, zoning, and space restrictions, they cannot be retrofitted with exterior insulation. Interior insulation must therefore be considered as an alternative. Lack of insulation directly results in energy waste as well as heat loss and gain. Furthermore, it adversely affects heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) loads, equipment sizing, indoor air quality, and thermal comfort for residents. The objective of this study is to simulate and evaluate the effects of various internal thermal insulation materials and strategies on mass masonry load-bearing walls in multifamily buildings with attention to various variables and parameters. It not only addresses the energy performance and cost savings associated with an interior insulation retrofit, but also outlines other variables and parameters that are factors in the selection of optimum insulation material, including installations costs, payback periods, useful internal space loss, and options for the depth of the interior insulation retrofit. In conclusion, the audience for this paper is diverse: homeowners, contractors and remodelers, architects and designers, engineers, housing and preservation authorities, and more can benefit from understanding the results outlined in this study.},
doi = {10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000320},
journal = {Journal of Architectural Engineering},
number = 3,
volume = 24,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}
Copy to clipboard
Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000320
Copyright Statement
Other availability
Search WorldCat Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal
Save / Share:
Export Metadata
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.

Works referenced in this record:

The influence on building thermal behavior of the insulation/masonry distribution in a three-layered construction
journal, January 1997

Optimizing insulation thickness and analysing environmental impacts of aerogel-based thermal superinsulation in buildings
journal, July 2014

The environmental impact of optimum insulation thickness for external walls of buildings
journal, November 2007

Optimization of insulation thickness for external walls using different energy-sources
journal, September 2006

Energy demand and indoor climate in a low energy building—changed control strategies and boundary conditions
journal, April 2006

Criterion to evaluate the “twofold benefit” of the renovation of buildings and their elements
journal, January 2004

    Sort by:
    [ × clear filter / sort ]

    Works referencing / citing this record:

    Monitoring of Thermal and Moisture Processes in Various Types of External Historical Walls
    journal, January 2020

    • Bajno, Dariusz; Bednarz, Lukasz; Matkowski, Zygmunt
    • Materials, Vol. 13, Issue 3
    • DOI: 10.3390/ma13030505
      Sort by:
      [ × clear filter / sort ]

      Similar Records in DOE PAGES and OSTI.GOV collections: