Skip to main content

Building Science 1 BSCI 9000

Building Science Course

Subscribe
View cart

Course details

Taking the interdisciplinary nature of the program and its diverse intake into account, this levelling course is designed to introduce the basic and advanced building science principles with a focus on heat, air, and moisture transfer in buildings. Topics include heat conduction, convection and radiation, psychrometric chart, airflow through building components due to combined forces, and moisture transport in air and porous materials including vapour diffusion, convection, and capillarity. The theory is illustrated through the application of analytical methods such as the thermal network in solving typical heat and mass transfer problems through building envelope components and heat and mass balance within buildings. Concepts such as surface heat and mass transfer coefficients, equivalent solar-air temperature, clear sky long-wave radiation, thermal and moisture storage, psychrometrics and condensation due to vapour and airflow are covered.

Prerequisite(s)

  • No prerequisites are required for this course.

Credits

3.0

Cost

$1,740.40

Course offerings

Fall 2023

Below is one offering of BSCI 9000 for the Fall 2023 term.

CRN 38567

Duration

Tue Sep 05 - Tue Dec 05 (15 weeks)

  • 15 weeks
  • CRN 38567
  • $1740.40
Class meeting times
Dates Days Times Locations
Sep 05 - Dec 05 Tue 14:30 - 17:45 Burnaby NE01 Rm. 404
Instructor

Rodrigo Mora

Course outline

View

Cost

$1740.40

Important information
  1. Departmental approval needed
  2. Please contact Program Assistant, at BCIT_buildingscience@bcit.ca for approval to register for this course. Please include your A#. Problem-Solving Session Tuesdays 6:00-7:30 pm
Status

In Progress

This course offering is in progress. Please check back next term, subscribe to receive email updates or contact us with your comments or questions.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • Calculate the temperature distribution of wall systems exposed to steady-state heat load and assess their 2-D thermal performance using simplified methods.
  • Calculate the temperature profile of wall systems exposed to periodical varying conditions and assess the impact of thermal transfer and storage using thermal network analysis.
  • Evaluate the impact of surface emissivity on long-wave radiant heat exchange.
  • Calculate surface convective heat transfer coefficients using dimensionless numbers for natural and forced convection, and laminar and turbulent flows.
  • Determine the state of moist air and the energy and moisture required for its state changes and mixing using a psychrometric chart and approximate equations.
  • Calculate the airflow through openings, cracks, and orifices, e.g., at window/wall interfaces, using the crack method.
  • Determine the airflow pattern and air leakage rate in buildings due to the stack effect, mechanical ventilation systems and wind, and combinations of the above using both analytical methods and test procedures.
  • Calculate steady-state moisture transport through building envelope assemblies and assess the potential for condensation within different assemblies due to vapour diffusion and airflow.
  • Interpret the moisture transport and storage processes in porous materials, specifically capillarity, surface tension, vapour pressure over meniscus, equilibrium moisture content, and the effect of hysteresis on moisture content.
  • Select experimental methods to determine typical hygric properties such as vapour permeability, isothermal sorption, liquid diffusivity, water absorption coefficients, and water retention curves.
  • Determine the surface diffusion mass transfer coefficients and calculate the quantity of surface condensation/evaporation.
  • Evaluate the water vapour and energy balance in ventilated rooms or spaces.

Effective as of Fall 2011

Related Programs

Building Science 1 (BSCI 9000) is offered as a part of the following programs:

School of Construction and the Environment

  1. Building Energy Modelling
    Graduate Certificate Part-time
  2. Building Engineering/Building Science
    Master of Applied Science Full-time/Part-time
  3. Building Science
    Master of Engineering Full-time/Part-time

Contact Us

If you have a question or comment about this course, please complete and submit the form below.

  • Privacy Notice: The information you provide will be used to respond to your request for BCIT program information and is collected under Section 26(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). For more information about BCIT’s privacy practices contact: Associate Director, Privacy, Information Access & Policy Management, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 3700 Willingdon Ave. Burnaby, BC V5G 3H2, email: privacy@bcit.ca.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Subscribe

Interested in being notified about future offerings of Building Science 1 (BSCI 9000)? If so, fill out the information below and we'll notify you by email when courses for each new term are displayed here.

  • Privacy Notice: The information you provide will be used to respond your request for BCIT course information and is collected under Section 26(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). For more information about BCIT’s privacy practices contact: Associate Director, Privacy, Information Access & Policy Management, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 3700 Willingdon Ave. Burnaby, BC V5A 3H2, email: privacy@bcit.ca.

Programs and courses are subject to change without notice.