CAE 331/513 Building Science is the study of the physical interaction of climate (e.g., humidity, temperature, wind, sun, rain, snow, etc.) and buildings. Topics include psychrometrics, indoor air quality, indoor thermal comfort, heat transfer, air infiltration, solar insolation, and heating and cooling load calculations.
Course Syllabus (updated as we go; includes current schedule)
Lecture Notes
- Aug 25 Introduction to building science
- Aug 27 Pre-requisite review, energy concepts, and units
- Sep 1 Heat transfer in buildings (conduction)
- Sep 3 Heat transfer in buildings (convection)
- Sep 8 Heat transfer in buildings (radiation)
- Sep 10 Heat transfer in buildings (solar radiation and windows)
- Sep 15 Heat transfer in buildings (review problems)
- Sep 17 Human thermal comfort
- Sep 22 Psychrometrics (chart)
- Sep 24 Psychrometrics (equations)
- Sep 29 Introduction to mechanical systems and psychrometric processes
- Oct 1 Psychrometrics (processes)
- Oct 6 Psychrometrics (processes)
- Oct 8 Exam review
- Oct 13 No class
- Oct 15 Exam 1
- Oct 20 [Guest lecture]
- Oct 22 Refrigeration cycles
- Oct 27 Air and water distribution systems
- Oct 29 Air and water distribution systems
- Nov 3 Ventilation and indoor air quality
- Nov 5 Ventilation and indoor air quality
- Nov 10 Heating load calculations
- Nov 12 Cooling load calculations
- Nov 17 Cooling load calculations
- Nov 19 Exam 2
- Nov 24 Campus site visit
- Nov 26 No class – Thanksgiving Day
- Dec 2 Energy estimation and designing for energy efficiency
- Dec 4 Standards and guidelines for energy efficiency (and course wrap-up)