Optimizing HVAC systems to decarbonize buildings

Within commercial buildings, HVAC systems are responsible for 67 percent of the total emissions emitted. This presents a major challenge for facility managers, who balance the day-to-day operational demands of their buildings with the need to reduce carbon footprints and energy costs.
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Ensuring performance in mulled window systems

Many project teams are opting to specify delegated design mulled window systems that combine multiple windows into a single unit in a larger glazed opening. While these mulled systems have become increasingly popular, their mulling components can create potential performance issues, including air infiltration, water penetration, structural failure, and...
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Where to find compliant NFPA 285 test data

Designers, specifiers, and code officials are unfamiliar with the best ways to locate information regarding National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 285 test data and tested assemblies. This article provides guidance on how and where to find compliant tested assemblies and the extension of test data through engineering analyses.
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Condensation: Why fenestration component selection matters

In 2022, the authors collaborated with researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Ajla Aksamija, PhD, and Suncica Milosevic, to quantify the potential for condensation on a variety of window systems. Eleven different aluminum architectural window systems spanning a wide range of heat transfer coefficients (U-factors) and CR ratings were...
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Why all components matter in firestopping materials

In the absence of a large-scale fire catastrophe, a sense of complacency may be influencing the specification of firestopping materials. In recent years, North America has seen a trend of pre-insulated back pans coming from overseas which contain foreign mineral wool that has not been tested to ASTM E2307....
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