This course offers trainees a technical overview of heat transfer in buildings, focusing on thermal control layer continuity and strategies that influence occupant comfort, energy efficiency, operational emissions reduction, and long-term building durability.
Beginning with the fundamentals of heat transfer, trainees will explore how heat transfer principles apply to building materials and assemblies. The course introduces fundamental metrics such as R-value and U-value, guiding participants through evaluating thermal performance and understanding how insulation, thermal mass, and air movement interact to shape building behavior in local climates.
The practical examples of local construction practices and advanced design considerations presented in this course will equip trainees with tools to identify and minimize thermal bridging, select project-appropriate insulation systems, and design continuous insulation assemblies. Lessons on code compliance, material selection, and construction detailing will help trainees improve the thermal performance quality of their building designs and their project workflow efficiency. As a result, trainees will be better prepared to deliver high-performance buildings that meet client expectations for occupant comfort and regulatory compliance.
What you’ll learn
- Explain how airtightness, thermal mass, and reduced thermal bridging can contribute to better thermal control.
- Evaluate insulation options based on design requirements and material properties.
- Identify common thermal bridges, such as steel studs, wood framing, slab edges, parapets, and cladding attachments, and assess their impact on overall thermal performance.
- Apply calculation methods to quantify the effects of thermal bridging and optimize/enhance building enclosure performance.
- Explain the function of continuous insulation and differentiate it from cavity-only insulation in terms of thermal performance, material selection, and code compliance.
- Evaluate scenarios where continuous insulation is essential to mitigate thermal bridging, enhance energy efficiency, and meet local building codes without disrupting structural needs.
