THERM Energy Modeling for the Warren Woods Ecology Field Station
At GO Logic, every architectural design process includes the determination of how much insulation is enough for a building in a given climate. The primary goal in this endeavor is to balance the level of insulation with the climate, construction cost, and operational cost of the building. Many other factors influence which type of insulation to use, such as moisture control, embodied energy of the material, labor-saving strategies, as well as how the insulation can be integrated at structural intersections. We have been able to develop cost effective high performance buildings through careful consideration of these important factors. We employ energy modeling tools to assess every building that we design. Energy modeling is an indispensable tool for predicting energy use and assessing various insulation options. 
Eave and wall intersection detail. The tool that we use to assess the thermal performance of specific intersections in a building is a computer programs called THERM. This program allows me to determine the thermal performance of an assembly of building materials at each major structural intersection. The place where the foundation meets the wall of the home is an example of one of these intersections, many of which are forgotten in typical design and construction. There may be insulation under the slab, and insulation in the wall, but what about the edge of the slab that is exposed to the outdoors? This intersection can cause tremendous heat loss. By the same token, if the slab edge is well insulated, along with the bottom of the slab and the wall, this corner can actually perform better than the wall or slab comparatively. GO Logic has begun construction of a field station in Michigan for the University of Chicago, called the Warren Woods Ecology Field Station, which we expect to be certified as the Passive House laboratory in the US in 2014. Using THERM, I assessed each structural intersection of the Warren Woods Ecology Field Station, to find that each corner of the building performed very well. The program provides calculations that can be incorporated into energy analysis of the entire building. THERM also provides images that visualize the transfer of heat through the building assembly. These images are very instructive and meaningful to us because they can make weak points in the building assembly obvious. The energy modeling tool that we use to certify Passive House buildings (the Passive House Planning Package) can then incorporate this information so that we have an accurate representation of how the building will perform. Here, we have superimposed THERM energy models over building sections, to best illustrate the information we gain from using this program. These thermal assessments of the Warren Woods Ecology Field Station made certain that the corners of the building are performing well thermally. The closer that the lines of color are together, the more quickly heat is moving through the building assembly. White represents the warmest interior temperature, while purple represents the exterior temperature, which in a northern climate, can average at a low of 8 degrees. 
The intersection of the exterior and interior slabs with an exterior wall. You can read more blog posts about the Warren Woods Ecology Field Station here.
