Michael Meslin, M.Eng. 2013
Supervisor: Dr. Fitsum Tariku
There is a growing need in the building enclosure industry for new materials to achieve advanced levels of energy performance and reduce environmental impacts from building construction. For this reason a project was carried out to investigate green materials and select three innovative building products with advanced performance characteristics that could contribute to advancing enclosure construction. The selected materials were studied via laboratory procedures to characterize their hygrothermal properties and modeling was performed to assess the impact of phase change material (PCM) enhancement on the moisture performance of interior gypsum wallboard. The results of this project were used to identify areas of research required for the products and the finding that PCM enhancement might have no negative effect on gypsum board hygrothermal performance.