How can you reduce air infiltration in a building?

Mastering Air Tightness: Achieving optimal energy efficiency and comfort in buildings starts with minimizing air infiltration. Seal gaps and cracks in the building envelope, pay attention to window and door installations, and consider advanced insulation materials. Implementing airtight construction practices not only enhances energy performance but also improves indoor air quality. Let's design with precision, creating spaces where air infiltration is minimized, and sustainability takes center stage.

There has been major advancements in the field of exterior envelope and manufacturing of panels that can prevent infiltration. With the introduction of unitized curtain wall assembly panels, the process of a building envelope has been more efficient and easier. Infiltration does not only affects the indoor building temperature but also increases a tremendous amount of load on HVAC system. In the manufacturing of curtain walls, insulation material (Gas) and the glass thickness/material contribute to efficiency of insulation.

Building material, its application and method of installation has to be chosen meticulously and with consideration for air leakage. The largest concern during winter months are heat loss. Materials and systems that do not allow for leakage are therefore critical, even at a higher cost

Reducing air infiltration in a building involves sealing gaps, cracks, and openings in windows, doors, and walls. Proper insulation, weatherstripping, and using air barriers can effectively minimize unwanted airflow.

Buildings lose more heat through joint leakage than through material leakage The joints between surface and/or material changes and/or installation changes are under continuous movement due to the thermal properties and differential movement of the materials, and the should be designed, and details for this The choice of sealing detail, material and application has to be explored and tested. Consulting with the manufacturers, collaboration with other consultants and solution discussions are critical

Windows are the greatest way of getting natural light into a building. The choice of window and the sealing of it and around it, has to be made early in the design development stage, when calculations and simulations are done to measure building air leakage performance The correct window, even at a higher cost, still produces a building which is cheaper to maintain and run over a longer period of time

Installing high-performance windows and doors is a good way to reduce air infiltration. 1. Choose a thermal insulation aluminum profile 2. Choose double or triple glass to make the sealing performance better, Low E glass will be great. (Dramatic reduction in heat loss. Stop heat transfer and reduce heat loss in the home by as much as 50%)

One of the helpful tool for detecting air filtration is the air and water Fenestration testing method. With this method the envelope is tested with air pressure and water spray gun.

Added consideration is the idea of air infiltration. We are speaking of uncontrolled infiltration. What about controlling air exchange and movement through filtered and controlled means? Forcing air into essentially sealed environments creates issues besides air (hot/cold) infiltration. Humidity and moisture control are also relevant to site specific environments. Sand, dust, pollen, and airborne odors are also issues to address. Installation and factory assembly processes are our current lines of defense, but we also need to look at the interior environment (IAQ) and how 'natural' we want our inside spaces. The reason we build structures is to separate ourselves from the harsh exterior environment, not just to stack ourselves in boxes.