Masonry Magazine January 1981 Page.15
BIA Technical Notes
on Brick Construction
Brick Institute of America 1750 Old Meadow Road. McLean, Virginia 22102
43G
Mar/Apr
1981
BRICK PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS
PART VIIHDETAILS AND CONSTRUCTION
Abstract: Details and construction of brick masonry for passive solar energy system applications vary only slightly from conventional residential and commercial brick masonry construction. Typical construction details are provided for direct gain and thermal storage wall systems. These details, with slight modifications, are also applicable for attached sunspaces. Construction variations from conventional construction and considerations for compliance with the major model building codes are also discussed.
Key Words: attached sunspaces, bricks, building code requirements, details, direct gain systems, energy, masonry, passive solar energy systems, thermal storage wall systems.
INTRODUCTION
Brick masonry construction and recommended details for passive solar energy systems are similar to conventional residential and commercial brick masonry construction and details. The general concepts of direct gain systems, attached sunspaces and thermal storage wall systems are discussed in Technical Notes 43. Empirical sizing, rational approaches for determining the thickness of brick masonry as a storage medium, material properties and performance calculations are discussed in other Technical Notes in this series. In these passive solar applications, brick masonry may be used as a storage medium and structural component of the building. Brick masonry also offers the capability for esthetic designs, fire resistance and sound transmission reduction.
These recommended details are presented in an effort to show as many applications of brick masonry in passive solar heating systems as possible and are not offered as typical combinations of details. The details may be slightly varied and different combinations of the details may be used to satisfy the requirements of any specific passive solar heated building design.
DIRECT GAIN
General
Details for brick masonry floors and walls used for thermal storage in direct gain systems are provided in Figs. 1 through 3. Each of these figures shows a typical connection detail for the ground floor, interim floors and roof.
Exterior Loadbearing Walls
Exterior loadbearing brick masonry walls may be constructed as insulated cavity walls to provide an interior brick masonry wythe for thermal storage and Mar/Apr 1981
Brick Institute of America
an exterior brick masonry wythe for durability, as shown in Fig. 1. The brick masonry should be continuous through all floor intersections so that the brick masonry bears on the foundation or foundation wall, provides adequate support and complies with building code fire safety requirements. Where wood joists frame into brick masonry wall construction, the wood joists should be fire cut.
The design should consider the local code requirements for minimum bearing. A thicker interior wythe may be required for bearing or special provisions incorporated into the detail so that both the exterior and interior wythes may be used for bearing. Bearing on both wythes should only be used when other alternatives are not practical, since there may be difficulty in properly constructing and detailing such a connection without interfering with the performance of the cavity wall. Additional information on the design, detailing, construction and insulating of cavity wall construction is provided in Technical Notes 21 Series.
Providing clerestories with the appropriate pitched roof in conjunction with a cathedral type ceiling and exposed beams or trusswork may allow even the North wall to be exposed to sunlight and used for thermal storage. This type of detailing may require consideration of exposed trusses in the roof/ceiling component. The trusses or other means of eliminating the thrust at the top of the cavity wall is necessary because the building codes do not allow lateral thrust on cavity wall construction. When considering the use of trusses or other members to relieve a cavity wall of this thrust, the spacing of the trusses or other members should be such that the interior of the wall is subjected to only minimal shading if it is to be used as thermal storage for direct gain.
When considering the use of insulated cavity walls, the exterior wythe of brick masonry is thermally isolated from the rest of the wall system. Thus, the exterior wythe of the cavity wall is usually subjected to greater
4d BRICK
MASONRY
GENERAL DATA
ENERGY CONSERVATION
13d
TOTAL ENERGY SYSTEMS
SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION