Centre for Advanced Building Envelope Research (CABER) - Carleton University

The Centre for Advanced Building Envelope Research (CABER) seeks to improve upon the efficiency and resiliency of building performance, by focusing on the relationship between a building’s envelope and different forms of energy loss. In Canada, residential and commercial buildings direct most of their energy use toward the heating and cooling of indoor space, contributing greatly to the overall greenhouse gas emissions released per year. By improving the performance efficiency of building envelopes, CABER strives to reduce emissions through optimizing all elements separating the climate-controlled indoors and the uncontrolled climate beyond. Drawing upon advances in super-thin insulation materials, prefabricated construction and panelized retrofits, CABER will develop new approaches to constructing building envelopes that are thinner, cheaper, and new methods for renovating existing buildings with less cost and less disruption. This ultimately plays a large role in helping to meet Canada’s climate change goals. Researchers on the CABER team are creating new experimental infrastructure to develop equipment capable of testing full scale residential building facades, as well as creating a materials characterization lab. The new infrastructure will enable researchers to study how heat, air and moisture move through materials and highly insulated wall systems. Focus is being brought to how these elements contribute to occupant health, comfort and building science risks, including condensation, mold growth and rot. CABER’s research, in partnership with Algonquin College and the Cold Climate Housing Research Center, will create innovative opportunities for Canada’s manufacturing, construction and renovation industries, providing new technical solutions to cut heat loss in buildings and reduce the cost associated with net zero ready and deep energy retrofit construction.