So, a bad product (low-density insulation) is made acceptable by necessitating another intrinsically unnecessary product (vapor barrier) and before you know it, the law stipulates that you need both. This document had no citations and no references, and includes two of the most controversial elements in moisture control: the one-perm vapour-barrier rule and the 1/300 attic ventilation rule, both of which are not substantiated and are still applied to this day. Federal Housing Authority updated the Property Standards and Minimum Construction Requirements for Dwellings to include a requirement for vapor barriers in the ceiling and insulated walls. His recommendations effectively ended the practices prescribed by Close, and from that point on cold-side ventilation became the norm for any cavities in frame construction including wall cavities and cathedral ceiling cavities. Rowley then advocated for cold attics that were ventilated and equipped with vapor barriers. Gas-powered vehicles may have never been the ideal transportation solution, but strong capitalist and political forces have been at play to keep these profitable mistakes “on the road” so to speak. This is just one example of how industry commits to marketing and selling a flawed product with patchwork solutions for huge profits instead of being invested in holistically effective solutions. It comes as no surprise then that his research was funded by the National Mineral Wool Association. Rowley could have warned against the use of these low-density insulating materials, but he did not and instead was advocating for vapor barriers. The introduction of mineral wool and fibreglass insulation, which is more insulating, less dense, and less expensive, meant that additional vapor protection measures would be required. Earlier insulation materials such as cork were dense, providing their own measure of moisture diffusion resistance. He also played a key role in the advent of lightweight insulation and vapour barriers. Strangely, he would not give any weight to air leakage, even when faced with inquiries from other scientists, as he was fixated on applying solely his vapor diffusion theory. He was leading the research in vapor diffusion, which he believed was the principal mechanism for moisture transport in buildings. Recent investigation into the performance of roof showed no evidence of sheathing deterioration or mold growth.Įnter Frank Rowley a few years later, also of ASH&VE. His recommendations were put into practice in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Wingspread home, where the roof insulation was placed in contact with the roof sheathing. As early as 1930, Paul Close of ASH&VE argued for the placement of insulation as far to the exterior of the building as possible, and in close direct contact with the sheathing, to prevent condensation and mold growth. Thermal insulation was first used in the US in the 1920s not for comfort or energy efficiency purposes, but to prevent mold growth in industrial buildings.
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