Video: How the 'Perfect Wall' Solves Environmental Diversity | Continuous Insulation with Foam Sheathing

by Timothy Ahrenholz

Published on August 29, 2018.

Around the world, people build dwellings in all kinds of environments. In North America alone, there exists a great diversity of climates, running the gamut from hot to cold and dry to humid. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were some way to design an enclosure that can perform well in any of these conditions?

Well, there’s good news! There is a wall that can get the job done. Sometimes called the “perfect wall,” this design puts all the control layers (for temperature, moisture, air, and water vapor) on the outside of the wall, thereby protecting the structure. The only variable for this design is the thickness of the exterior continuous insulation.

To learn more about this technique and about building envelopes in general, check out the resources on this site, in particular this article that delves into the perfect wall concept. Also of interest is this short video describing the environmental diversity of North America, part of a series on the perfect wall:

For additional information, review the following articles, as well as the previous videos in this series:

Perfect Wall Articles

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