Title: Thermal bridge - Wikipedia
Headings: Thermal bridge
Thermal bridge
Contents
Concept
Identifying Thermal Bridges
Thermal Bridging in Construction
Masonry Buildings
Curtain Wall
Impacts of Thermal Bridging
Design Methods to Reduce Thermal Bridges
Analysis Methods and Challenges
See also
References
External links

Content: Thermal Bridging in Construction
Frequently, thermal bridging is used in reference to a building’s thermal envelope, which is a layer of the building enclosure system that resists heat flow between the interior conditioned environment and the exterior unconditioned environment. Heat will transfer through a building’s thermal envelope at different rates depending on the materials present throughout the envelope. Heat transfer will be greater at thermal bridge locations than where insulation exists because there is less thermal resistance. In the winter, when exterior temperature is typically lower than interior temperature, heat flows outward and will flow at greater rates through thermal bridges. At a thermal bridge location, the surface temperature on the inside of the building envelope will be lower than the surrounding area. In the summer, when the exterior temperature is typically higher than the interior temperature, heat flows inward, and at greater rates through thermal bridges. This causes winter heat losses and summer heat gains for conditioned spaces in buildings. Despite insulation requirements specified by various national regulations, thermal bridging in a building's envelope remain a weak spot in the construction industry. Moreover, in many countries building design practices implement partial insulation measurements foreseen by regulations. As a result, thermal losses are greater in practice that is anticipated during the design stage.