Diffusion paradigm
Assessing risks in insulation retrofits using hygrothermal software tools, Heat and moisture transport in internally insulated stone walls, by Joseph Little, Calina Ferraro and Beñat Arregi, published by Historic Environment Scotland in 2015, states: ‘The diffusion paradigm is that version of building physics which explains hygrothermal performance of building envelopes in terms of water vapour diffusion, which uses the steady-state profile method and leads to recommendations in the USA for vapour barriers and attic ventilation. It is the predisposition toward prescriptive guidance inhibited the development of an engineering approach.’
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