The Role of Construction Detailing and Workmanship in Achieving Energy-efficient Buildings

The effect of construction detailing on energy efficiency of buildings has received a lot of attention on the component level but not enough on the whole building level. Inadequate construction detailing and workmanship lead to deterioration of façade properties. Their occurrence and effects cannot be determined in a deterministic way. It is, therefore, relevant to quantify, in a probabilistic sense, the role of construction detailing and workmanship on overall building energy performance. This paper focuses on two typical construction concerns, namely, thermal bridge and air leakage. We set up a method to quantify the typical variability of infiltration and thermal bridge workmanship effects, and introduce a detailed case study to examine the effect of construction practice on building space heating and cooling demands. The relative importance of construction detailing and workmanship in achieving energy-efficient buildings is discussed.