Heat & Moisture Simulation Workshop | Assess Risk & Prevent Interstitial Condensation

Is the building you are designing or retrofitting:

• traditionally built or a protected structure?
• to feature a solid wall or unventilated roof buildup?
• tall or in an area of strong winds?
• damp or considered problematic?
• to be fitted with internal wall insulation?
• to be made very airtight and highly insulated?
• to feature timber in vulnerable positions, like joist ends?

If you are concerned about interstitial condensation, mould or rot then you need to evaluate the risks with WUFI® Pro.

This two-day course - back by popular demand following two fully booked events last year - provides a practical, hands-on introduction to WUFI® Pro ‘hygrothermal’ numerical simulation. It is the world leading simulation software for understanding the risk of interstitial condensation, mould, rot and freeze-thaw in buildings.

Both days of training include hands-on workshops using the software, and you will get the full version of the WUFI® Pro software with a 6-week temporary licence, as well as access to support on the online WUFI® Forum for that period.

National standards, market signals

WUFI® Pro is one of only two numerical simulation tools validated under BS EN 15026, the standard for hygrothermal numerical simulation software. It has particular relevance for those focused on insulation retrofits of solid wall construction, roof buildups, buildings in exposed conditions and conditions that can stress the building fabric (such as failures or leakage).

In 2013 DECC commissioned STBA to write ‘Moisture Risk Assessment and Guidance’ for all those concerned with the design and construction of new buildings, and with the modification of existing buildings. A public consultation finished in May 2014. Amongst the document’s strongest points is the adoption of risk assessment tools (like WUFI Pro) under BS EN 15026. Its authors wrote ‘The dictum “all models are wrong; some models are useful” applies here. With that warning and with acknowledgement of the disadvantages and limitations listed above, it can be said that moisture modelling and particularly BS EN 15026:2007 should be used wherever possible in the assessment of moisture risk in buildings as a guide to what to consider and as part of an overall moisture risk assessment...’

In BS 5250(2011), the Code of Practice for Control of Condensation in Buildings, it states clearly that the common but old-fashioned ‘Glaser’ or dew point assessments cannot assess the impact of:

• buildings in ‘service conditions’ (i.e. real buildings in real locations)
• short-term weather events (like driving rain and freeze thaw)
• air leakage
• hygroscopic materials (like brick, plaster, timber and many insulants)
• orientation
• construction moisture
• material characteristics that vary (depending on changes in moisture or temperature etc.)

You can assess all these problem conditions with WUFI® Pro.

Topics discussed will include the vocabulary and fundamentals of building physics, practical examples with WUFI® Pro, interpretation of results, the market context for WUFI® in the UK, and a review of completed case studies. Attendees will learn how to input a wall or roof, its orientation and location, and run simulations on different configurations.

Who should attend?

The workshop is open to all building professionals, e.g. architects, engineers, surveyors, insulation suppliers, system manufacturers, builders and anyone with a focus on fabric performance.
No previous experience with the WUFI® Pro software is required.

There are now thousands of WUFI® Pro users around the world and rising fast.

Book now to join the growing ranks of WUFI® simulators. Our previous WUFI® Pro courses have sold out so book now to secure your place!

Registration:

Course fees include the 2-day course tuition, course materials, light refreshments and lunch on both days, and the full version of the WUFI® Pro software with a 6-week temporary licence, as well as access to support on the online WUFI® Forum for that period.

Participants must bring a MS Windows-compatible laptop (on which they have administrator privileges) and will receive the full version of the WUFI® Pro software with a 6-week temporary licence.

About the Speakers

Christian Bludau, Dipl.-Ing.

Christian Bludau is a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics, Department for Hygrothermics, in Germany. Christian received his Diploma in Civil Engineering at the Technical University of Munich, Germany in 2001. After his studies he worked as research assistant at the Institute for Building Materials and the Institute for Structural Engineering at the University of the German Armed Forces in Munich.

He has worked as researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics since 2005 and from 2011 he has held a lectureship for building physics / moisture control in building at the University of Applied Sciences in Augsburg. His research interests focus on the hygrothermal conditions in wall and roof constructions with special interests in the thermal behaviour of flat roofs. Christian has been involved in many WUFI® seminars, lessons and workshops during the last few years.

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF SPEAKER

Beñat Arregi - BArch

Beñat Arregi holds a degree in Architecture from the University of the Basque Country. He is the lead consultant at Dublin’s Building Life Consultancy for thermal modelling (both 2D and 3D) and hygrothermal risk evaluation (both 1D and 2D). Arregi has been a core member of the consultancy since its launch in 2009.

The combination of his architectural and applied building physics knowledge, together with software simulation skills, gives him a unique perspective and ability in evaluating building fabric performance in modern and historic buildings.

Arising out of consultancy and research work Arregi has authored and co-authored articles for publication and papers for various international conferences. Together with Joseph Little, he has created and lectured two courses on energy-efficient retrofit and building fabric design on behalf of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI).

Book Early | Early bird offer

£600 for Green Register members / £650 for non-members if you book by 13 February 2015.
£650 for Green Register members / £700 for non-members if you book after 13 Feb 2015.

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