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Caring About Building Air Leakage The Intersection of Building Science and Cognitive Science
Building science best practices increase the likelihood of getting the most out of our buildings and avoiding the worst. PAT BARCAS PHOTO
BY JONATHAN GACH ou may have heard the concept that “buildings need to breathe” without really understanding what it means. Does this saying hold true to what we expect of modern buildings and what does it mean for your situation? Through cumulative industry experience and an intimate understanding of how heat and moisture movement in buildings affect their performance, today’s ideal construction method has evolved to the preferred approach of “seal it tight and ventilate right.” Yet, with this knowledge, why are so many buildings leaky and what is the benefit of avoiding air leakage? Access to information doesn’t always lend itself to informed behavior. Consider radon: we know it is unhealthy, but that doesn’t
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mean everyone values the ability to manage radon exposure. To do so requires ongoing accurate radon measurement for informed decision making and mitigation strategies. The reasons for not doing something about radon may be similar to the same reason we accept leaky buildings. We have a cognitive tendency to make decisions based on one’s perception of proximity (when) and magnitude (how big). Without knowing exactly how bad building air leakage is or exactly how much is really worth worrying about, one’s perception of proximity and magnitude is a way of making a decision in the present in order to avoid a problem in the future. The challenge is that we don’t know when the consequences of a leaky building might manifest (proximity) or how big of a prob-
With all of the effort that goes into maintaining condition spaces, having a leaky building does nothing but make it harder and more expensive. JONATHAN GACH PHOTO
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