Condensation in Buildings - Australian Building Codes Board

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Information Handbook: Condensation in Buildings 1 Introduction Reminder: This Handbook is not mandatory or regulatory in nature and compliance with it will not necessarily discharge a user's legal obligations. The Handbook should only be read and used subject to, and in conjunction with, the general disclaimer at page ii. The Handbook also needs to be read in conjunction with the building legislation of the relevant State or Territory. It is written in generic terms and it is not intended that the content of the Handbook counteract or conflict with the legislative requirements, any references in legal documents, any handbooks issued by the Administration or any directives by the Building Control Authority. 1.1 Background The Condensation in Buildings Information Handbook is a revised second edition of a document prepared by the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) and published by the ABCB in 2011. The first edition noted that it was “intended to assist architects, designers and builders in the assessment of the risk of condensation and its consequences”. The 2011 Handbook has attracted considerable attention on the ABCB’s web site, suggesting that interest in these matters extends beyond the community of building practitioners who work with the regulatory provisions of the NCC. The second edition consolidates information from the first into a more extensively illustrated form in the hope of improving the Handbook’s accessibility and usefulness to a wider audience. It also draws on the insights and recommendations of researchers and practitioners, in Australia and overseas, who continue to explore the complexities of a still developing body of knowledge and report informatively on their understanding and experiences. The state of flux is acknowledged in ASHRAE Standard 160-2009. This standard, which is outlined in Chapter 6, provides a consensus view from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) on suitable inputs to advance methods of simulating condensation risk. The Foreword notes that “many items in this standard are based on incomplete information and are, therefore, partially based on the best professional judgment of the standard committee at the time of writing. The development of this standard has pointed to many unanswered questions, questions that hopefully will be addressed and answered by research in the near future.” DRAFT HANDBOOK While work progresses on unanswered questions, the climate is also in flux. Many buildings designed today will serve in an environment where extreme weather events are predicted to be more frequent and climatic patterns may shift to create unfamiliar combinations of precipitation, humidity and seasonal temperatures. These circumstances suggest that condensation management strategies based only on established expectations, rules of thumb or narrow margins of safety are unlikely to stand the test of coming decades. Australian Building Codes Board Page 1
Information Handbook: Condensation in Buildings Drafting Note: The incidence of condensation problems across Australia remains unclear. The ABCB has asked stakeholders about their firsthand knowledge of verified instances and stakeholders have inquired within their own networks. The responses so far do not provide a clear picture of extent or causes. Certainly problems are occurring and for those dealing with them the effects can be acute. Some respondents are aware of numerous problems but they have often been encountered over a working lifetime and are not clearly associated with particular places, building types, forms of construction or building age. Many comments suggest that problems are often caused by occupants’ use of the affected buildings. DRAFT HANDBOOK Australian Building Codes Board Page 2
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Condensation in Buildings - Australian Building Codes Board

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