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Best Practice For the Location of Air and Thermal Boundaries in Small Commercial Buildings
Abstract
Suspended t-bar ceilings are common in
commercial buildings. Research has found that these
ceilings are very leaky, and several problems arise
from this. If the space above the ceiling is vented to
outdoors, the entire building becomes leaky.
Furthermore, if the insulation is located at the ceiling
rather than the roof, then the ceiling space will be hot
(summer), and if the ceiling space is also vented to
outdoors, then the ceiling space will be hot and
humid. The thermal and humidity conditions of the
ceiling space have important implications for space
conditioning loads, building ventilation rates, and
indoor relative humidity. Conductive gains through
ductwork add to loads, and various forms of
uncontrolled air flow readily move air between the
ceiling space and the occupied space. These factors
should be considered during design and construction
of commercial buildings. Best practice: locate the
air and thermal boundaries of the building at the roof
deck. This approach has many benefits.
Citation
Cummings, J. B.; Withers, C. R. (2000). Best Practice For the Location of Air and Thermal Boundaries in Small Commercial Buildings. Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu); Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu). Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /6778.