Discussing air tightness with Pro Clima and the ASBN
In 2016, the CSIRO carried out air tightness testing on a range of Australian houses in all of the capital cities. They found that, on average, Australian housing acheives an ACH of 15.4 @50pa, with several of the tested houses getting results above 30ACH@50pa. This equates to all of the air in a house being completely replaced with outside air every 90 minutes (or less). Your expensive, conditioned air. Air tightness in construction has not been a priority in the Australian market like it is in Europe and the UK, and we're all suffering higher energy bills, thermal discomfort and unwanted house guests (spiders anyone?) because of it. The 2019 draft NCC does includes provisions for air tightness testing. Although it's not yet compulsory, it's a start. The conversation around air tightness in construction has well and truly begun and I am thrilled to be part of it.
Last Thursday night Adelaide's most progressive and forward thinking builders, engineers, architects and designers all converged at the Brickworks in Hindmarsh Square for the ASBN's "Fundamentals of Building Science" event. Pro Clima's General Manager and engineer, Thomas van Raamsdonk and Technical Manager and air tightness testing expert Sean Maxwell were the guest speakers. Thomas took the floor first explaining in detail how condensation forms in buildings, the resulting mould issues and how best to detail your plans to ensure that your trades understand how to build for air tightness. Sean followed and educated the audience on post-construction air tightness testing, explaining what a blower door test was and discussing how important it is that every single interested party on a construction project knows how important air tightness is, from the very beginning of the scoping and design process. An energetic panel discussion ensued where we discussed mechanical ventilation, issues with the trend towards high density living and difficulty with effective ventilation and what a good level of air tightness is for a naturally ventilated building.
We all left more aware and ready to continue to spread the word about air tightness in construction. Build tight, ventilate right.
P.S. Do you know what the RED PEN TEST is?