Get expert guidance on the
moisture durability and energy efficiency
of a wall assembly.

Learning

Before you begin

Before using BSA as an assessment tool, you should be familiar with the following topics:

The components of a building envelope
How to assess the conditions of existing building envelopes
What retrofitting is and why it's done

Assessments

Assess a wall assembly

Get estimates of the thermal efficiency, mold resistance, and moisture durability of different wall assemblies within different climate zones in the United States. Additionally, gain insights into what type of retrofit and what retrofit components will be most beneficial in any chosen climate zone.

Start a Wall Assessment

About

Building Science Advisor (BSA) allows users to compare the performance of different combinations of wall components, providing rapid feedback and guidance on the design of a wall assembly based on expert knowledge and thousands of pre-simulated hygrothermal models.

Intended Use

BSA is intended for those who have a working knowledge of how building envelopes are constructed, such as:

architects
designers
contractors
builders

The estimated wall performances provided by BSA are not intended to replace project-specific guidance, such as professional advice or hygrothermal simulation, which may be able to take into account a wider array of variables.

The current BSA database is limited to conventional building envelope constructions, such as wood frame or masonry. Note that these conventional constructions make up 80–90% of both commercial and residential wall assemblies in the U.S. However, atypical wall assemblies do exist but cannot be evaluated by BSA because there is no matching data in the database. In these instances, the user should seek professional advice.

Get expert guidance on the moisture durability and energy efficiency of a wall assembly.

Before you begin

Assess a wall assembly

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Get expert guidance on the
moisture durability and energy efficiency
of a wall assembly.