Essential Building Science: Understanding Energy and Moisture in High Performance House Design - Paperback

by Jacob Deva Racusin (Author)

Design High-Performance Homes That Are Durable, Healthy, and Comfortable

What You'll Learn

• Understand Heat and Moisture Dynamics: Learn the fundamentals of thermal dynamics, moisture transfer, vapor drive, and condensation.


• Design for High Performance: Discover the rationale behind energy-efficient, durable, and healthy building design.


• Think like a Building Scientist: Develop critical thinking skills to evaluate buildings as complete systems and create effective thermal and moisture strategies.


• Apply Real-world Solutions: Case studies and examples from across North American climates show how to solve real building problems.


• Improve Old and New Buildings: Gain insights and tools for dramatically enhancing the performance of existing structures or creating better new builds.

Written by Jacob Deva Racusin, a sustainable building designer, educator, and co-owner of New Frameworks Natural Design/Build, this guide draws on decades of experience in mechanical, water, energy, and enclosure system design. Jacob is a Building Performance Institute-certified Envelope Professional and Building Analyst, program director of the Building Science and Net Zero Design Certificate Program at Yestermorrow Design/Build School, and co-author of The Natural Building Companion.

Transform the way you design and build homes with practical, science-based strategies that make buildings healthier, more efficient, and resilient. With clear visuals, actionable insights, and step-by-step thinking frameworks, Essential Building Science gives builders, designers, and DIYers the confidence to achieve high-performance results.

Explore the full Sustainable Building Essentials series for comprehensive guidance on foundations, walls, insulation, mechanical systems, finishes, and more--everything you need to create durable, efficient, and sustainable homes.

Back Jacket

The easy-to-understand "rocket science" you need to design and build durable, healthy, comfortable, high-performance houses

POOR HEAT AND MOISTURE MANAGEMENT are the enemies of durability, comfort, and high-performance housing. Good building design and construction start with a solid understanding of good building science.

In this essential book, Jacob Racusin distills the basic tools builders and homeowners need to make efficient homes that start out light on the planet and last a good long time.
- Tristan Roberts, Executive Editor, BuildingGreen.com

A masterful - and delightful - job of presenting the complexities of building physics in a way that anyone can understand and use to their benefit. If you want to build well, folks, read this!
- Bruce King, Structural Engineer and author, New Carbon Architecture

This is the book that builders, designers, and homeowners have been waiting for! In the coming years, understanding building science principles will be considered as important as drafting skills and driving nails.
- Chris Magwood, author, Making Better Buildings

Essential Building Science provides a highly visual, accessible introduction to the fundamentals of building science for residential construction. It arms designers, builders, and homeowners with the information and strategies necessary to think through decisions regarding materials, assemblies, and mechanical systems. Crucially, it provides a framework for asking better questions, which in time lead to better answers, and ultimately to better buildings.

Coverage includes:

• The key role of building science in high-quality, high-performance house design
• How to establish goals for health, safety and comfort, durability, and resource efficiency
• Fundamentals of building physics including understanding heat loss and gain, and heat and moisture movement within buildings
• Strategies for moisture and thermal control
• Examples from across North American climatic zones
• Consideration of buildings as whole systems

Containing over 100 illustrations and photographs, Essential Building Science presents the vital knowledge and critical thinking skills needed to design durable, comfortable, high-performance houses anywhere. Good science plus critical thinking equals high-performance buildings.

Jacob Deva Racusin is co-author of The Natural Building Companion , contributor to The Art of Natural Building , and Systems Director of New Frameworks Natural Design/Build. He is Program Director of the Certificate in Building Science and Net Zero Design at Yestermorrow Design/Build School, and a Building Performance Institute-certified Envelope Professional and Building Analyst.

Sustainable Building Essentials

New Society's Sustainable Building Essentials Series aims to provide the highest quality information on sustainable building methods and materials. Editors Chris Magwood and Jen Feigin have scoured the world of sustainable building to bring you the techniques and systems that deliver measureable benefits in terms of greater energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact. Written by the world's leading sustainable builders, designers, and engineers, these succinct, user-friendly handbooks are indispensable tools for any project.

An invaluable introduction, teaching tool, and resource for homeowners, educators, and builders. I hope there will be a dog-eared hard copy or an oft-accessed e-version of Essential Building Science on every residential building (or renovation) site in North America.
- Tim Krahn, P. Eng.

Essential for builders and architects, as well as for future homeowners to know what to look for and what to ask for in good design.
- Andrew M Shapiro, Energy Balance, Inc.

Author Biography

Jacob Deva Racusin is a sustainable and natural building designer, builder and educator. He is co-author of The Natural Building Companion , contributor to The Art of Natural Building and Systems Director and Co-Owner of New Frameworks Natural Design/Build, focusing on mechanical, water, energy, and enclosure system design and quality control. He is also a Building Performance Institute-certified Envelope Professional and Building Analyst. Jacob is the program director of the Building Science and Net Zero Design Certificate Program at the Yestermorrow Design/Build School, and has taught natural building and building science at various universities and building schools. He and his family live in a 2000 sq ft high-performance, natural home in the mountains of northern Vermont, where they run a small-scale Permaculture-inspired homestead.