Commissioning is normally associated with mechanical and electrical systems in a building. It is the process of verifying the performance of HVAC systems to determine if the construction complies with the design documents and the specified performance ratings. The complication for commissioning the air barrier system is that, with the exception of curtain walls and windows, there are no measurable design performance requirements for maximum air leakage rate, structural support, material qualities or durability. A broader approach is needed, whereby performance requirements are identified from the beginning of a project, the design of the air barrier system is engineered and tested if necessary, and the construction is certified through compliance testing and review.

To improve the housing industry's ability to predict the performance and durability of the air barrier system, a methodology is needed to encourage designers and builders to advance air barrier system design and construction from an art to a science. The research objective is to formulate a proposed methodology for the development of a commissionable air barrier system.

• air barrier

1. A study of the rainscreen concept applied to cladding systems on wood frame walls
2. Air Barrier Details - I & II
3. CMHC research project: testing of air barriers: construction details
4. Commissioning and Monitoring the Building Envelope for Air Leakage
5. Moisture content in Canadian wood-frame house construction problems, research and practise from 1975-1991
6. Survey of building envelope failures in the coastal climate of British Columbia
7. Testing of Air Barriers Construction Details - I & II