LGA STUDIOS BLOG


Building Science: Air Flow and Temperature Difference
Sustainable Living & Energy Efficiency, Building Science LGA Studios Website Designer Sustainable Living & Energy Efficiency, Building Science LGA Studios Website Designer

Building Science: Air Flow and Temperature Difference

In his building-science presentations, John Straube often talks about how skyscrapers co-evolved with revolving doors. This is because of the stack effect: Warm air rising in a tall building creates a pressure difference that makes opening a ground-level swinging door very difficult. The taller the building, the greater the pressure difference and, as a result, the harder it is to open the door. A similar relationship exists with temperature: The greater the temperature difference, the faster the heat flows to the cooler space.

Read More
Building Science: Your House Is A System
Sustainable Living & Energy Efficiency, Building Science LGA Studios Website Designer Sustainable Living & Energy Efficiency, Building Science LGA Studios Website Designer

Building Science: Your House Is A System

When you make changes to one part of a house, you may create problems elsewhere. Rising energy costs and federal subsidies have encouraged homeowners to swap conventional furnaces for high-efficiency, direct-vent models. Unfortunately, the atmospherically vented water heater is often left behind. These orphaned water heaters are now venting into an oversize flue that was once shared by two appliances. Half of these orphaned heaters won’t have enough draft to get flue gases outside the house.

Read More
Building Science: Water Leaks
Sustainable Living & Energy Efficiency, Building Science LGA Studios Website Designer Sustainable Living & Energy Efficiency, Building Science LGA Studios Website Designer

Building Science: Water Leaks

Because water runs downhill, roofing components should be installed “shingle style” by starting at the bottom of the building and overlapping lower courses with subsequent courses. Any holes should be repaired, and the water-resistive barrier (WRB) should be lapped over (not behind) window head flashing and step flashing on abutting roofs.

Read More
Building Science: Air Leaks
Sustainable Living & Energy Efficiency, Building Science LGA Studios Website Designer Sustainable Living & Energy Efficiency, Building Science LGA Studios Website Designer

Building Science: Air Leaks

Air-permeable insulation such as fiberglass and blown cellulose does little to stop air moving through it, which is why you need an air barrier. An air barrier is an air-impermeable layer that prevents conditioned air from mixing with outdoor air. Insulation such as closed-cell spray foam and rigid foam is its own air barrier.

Read More
Building Science: Heat Movement
Sustainable Living & Energy Efficiency, Building Science LGA Studios Website Designer Sustainable Living & Energy Efficiency, Building Science LGA Studios Website Designer

Building Science: Heat Movement

Rooms over attached garages, which can be uncomfortably hot or cold depending on the season, are a perfect example of how heat moves from warmer spaces to colder spaces, by taking the path of least resistance. Typically, the problem is that poor insulation and air-sealing details allow unconditioned outside air to mix with conditioned interior air. This makes these rooms difficult to heat and cool.

Read More
Building Science: Comfort - More Than Just Air Temperature
Sustainable Living & Energy Efficiency, Building Science LGA Studios Website Designer Sustainable Living & Energy Efficiency, Building Science LGA Studios Website Designer

Building Science: Comfort - More Than Just Air Temperature

There are four primary factors that affect human comfort: air temperature, relative humidity, radiant temperature, and air movement. People are often most comfortable when the air temperature is between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit and when the relative humidity is between 30% and 70%. A slight breeze on a hot sunny day can make you feel comfortable, but a draft in your living room on a cold day can be uncomfortable.

Read More
Continuing Education - International Code Council Conference
Building Science, LGA Studios Team Updates LGA Studios Website Designer Building Science, LGA Studios Team Updates LGA Studios Website Designer

Continuing Education - International Code Council Conference

A few weeks ago, the Colorado Chapter of the International Code Council held their 37th Annual Educational Institute – back in-person again! LGA Studios sent most of our team members up to Loveland, CO to attend courses for continuing education in matters related to code. We take these classes in order to keep ourselves sharp and up-to-date on current Colorado building codes. These conferences also provide an opportunity to learn new technologies and become better, more well-rounded designers.

Read More
Best Practices to Keep in Mind When Building Your Eco-Friendly Home
Sustainable Living & Energy Efficiency, Building Science LGA Studios Website Designer Sustainable Living & Energy Efficiency, Building Science LGA Studios Website Designer

Best Practices to Keep in Mind When Building Your Eco-Friendly Home

Building an eco friendly home can help you save energy, save money, and save the environment. A net zero home is capable of generating as much energy as it consumes. Here are some best practices to keep in mind when building your eco friendly home.

Read More
Building With Wildfire Resilience in Mind
Sustainable Living & Energy Efficiency, Building Science LGA Studios Website Designer Sustainable Living & Energy Efficiency, Building Science LGA Studios Website Designer

Building With Wildfire Resilience in Mind

There’s so much to think about when building your home, but structural stability is one of the most critical considerations. Fortunately, this is also an area of continuous advancement in the building industry, the result of lessons sometimes learned the hard way through natural disasters, whether they be fires, flooding, wind, or earthquakes. In our Rocky Mountain region, the most common trial has been wildfires.

Read More
LGA Studios-Designed Home in Colorado Springs Earns LEED Platinum Certification

LGA Studios-Designed Home in Colorado Springs Earns LEED Platinum Certification

LGA Studios could not be more proud to be part of the project featured in this post: a stunning modern home in Mountain Shadows that was just awarded LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Read More