Jeremy Piggot’s work is featured in the innovation section of Québec habitation magazine!
Piggot Navarrete Jeremy Michael, a PhD student in wood and bio-based materials engineering at Laval University under the supervision of Professor Pierre Blanchet, full professor and director of the graduate programmes in wood and bio-based materials engineering,was featured in the innovation section of Québec habitation magazine for his research on the impact of faults on the hygrothermal performance and airtightness of building envelopes
Congratulations, Jeremy, on this remarkable achievement, which reflects the outstanding quality of your research project. It’s a well-deserved recognition of your dedication and expertise in this field!
Overview
Defects refer to minor faults in construction. Although they do not compromise the solidity of a structure, they can nevertheless alter the overall performance of a building. The building envelope is an essential barrier, providing resistance to air, heat, noise, light and water. The presence of these defects can affect the performance of this barrier in different ways.
As part of his doctoral project at the Industrial Research Chair on Eco-responsible Wood Construction (CIRCERB) at Laval University, Jeremy Piggot is investigating the influence of construction defects on the hygrothermal performance and airtightness of building envelopes. Specifically, his study aims to assess the effects of four common types of defect on the hygrothermal performance and airtightness of a lightweight wood-frame envelope. These defects include perforations in the weather barrier, incorrect use of staples in the vapour and air barriers, installation of nails in the external insulation, and inadequate spacing between structural elements.
The results revealed that all defects reduced, to some extent, the hygrothermal performance of the wood-frame envelope. Structural separations and the incorrect use of staples on the polyethylene membrane caused the most significant negative variations, resulting in a notable increase in heat loss, the likelihood of interstitial condensation and air infiltration. Consequently, stepping up efforts to reduce defects during construction represents a significant lever for mitigating the environmental impact of the construction sector.
Well done Jeremy and we wish you every success in your research and academic career!
Link to the article: here!