Building Envelope Performance Protocol and Assessment Tool

The Protocol and the BEPAT (Building Envelope Performance Assessment Tool) were developed in response to industry demands, to facilitate the evaluation of the performance of light-frame building envelopes used in residential buildings. The Protocol sets the internal and external loads that affect that performance and develops a procedure for evaluation. The evaluation protocol includes performance criteria, associated standards and compliance evaluation methods. It also sets the strategy for performance evaluation from the design stage, installation stage both in the plant and on site, to the moment when house is finished: before and after the occupancy. The BEPAT utilizes the protocol generated data by comparing it to benchmark values and performs scoring and weighting according to the level of priority of certain requirement over the others. Total score represents the level of the overall performance of light-frame building envelope. Developed for the specific conditions of Montreal and near surroundings, this Protocol establishes a framework for the development of similar protocols for other regions.