Literature Review on Building Envelope, Heating and ... - Beeshive.org

• North Series # 4 Residential Foundation Systems for Permafrost Regions discusses
the advantages, disadvantages, and anticipated life span and life cycle costs of various
foundation options for northern climate conditions. Decision flow diagrams aid in the
selection of the appropriate type of foundation depending on soil conditions and the
availability of appropriate equipment and skilled labour. Foundation systems are
described below.
• North Series # 5 Eagle Lake Healthy House provides guidance for building healthy
housing in the north, and describes a house demonstration project in Eagle Lake First
Nations, Northern Ontario. The house is described below.
• North Series # 6 Arctic Hot Roof Design presents an arctic roof design that can
withstand northern environmental conditions, where there is little annual precipitation
and prevalent blowing snow conditions in long winters. The arctic hot roof system
has been used successfully in the north in houses and large buildings for about 15
years. Roof systems are described below.
• North Series # 8 How to Prevent Plumbing and Heating Vent Stack Freeze-Up
presents strategies for preventing the freeze-up of plumbing and heating vent stacks.
This is discussed in more detail in the next section.
• North Series # 9 Fancoil Integrated Combination Heat and Domestic Hot Water
Systems describes the integration of the traditional two separate systems for space
heating and domestic hot water into one energy-efficient system. This is discussed in
more detail in the next section.
Building Envelope Examples, Northern Canada
The wood frame building envelope system is common in northern Canada. The wall
assembly includes 38 x 139 mm (2 x 6) lumber for structure, plywood or OSB for
sheathing, and mineral wool or fibreglass batt for insulation in the stud space as well as
semi-rigid insulation over the wood strapping. An air barrier membrane is applied on the
cold side of the insulation and a vapour barrier membrane is applied on the warm side of
the insulation. Galvanized steel siding is common. In some areas, structural panel siding
of engineered wood strands replaces sheathing and is nailed directly to the studs. The
panels are prefinished and treated to resist moisture and fungal rot.
Wood Frame Assembly
The following are two examples of wood frame construction common in Northern
Canada.
Nunavik, Quebec example: Angers (1999) described the wood frame construction used
in Nunavik, an area consisting of one third of the Province of Quebec. To put it in
perspective, Nunavik is the same size as all of France, and 1.5 time bigger than Japan.
PERD-079: Task 2 - <strong>Literature</strong> <strong>Review</strong> 22