Description

Installing insulation in a low-pitched roof of an existing house is tricky. BRANZ Is using its experimental ventilation building to look for answers.

The BRANZ ventilation research building has been the subject of many projects over the years. As well as the airtightness and ventilation research streams, it has also contributed in several other areas. Work has covered subfloor moisture and impacts of wind wash on subfloor insulation performance right through to roof space moisture and corrosion research.

With the site redevelopment under way, the opportunity has been taken to undertake a series of retrofit interventions to understand the optimal ways for improving the performance of existing buildings, keeping cost and disruption in mind. The focus, however, is on measurable achieved performance outcomes and mitigation of potential risks of moisture accumulation as the envelope is improved.

Scope

This article covers:

• Time for a change
• Roof the first of several steps
• The warm roof build-up
• Hybrid options being studied
• Next steps