We often heard our grandparents say, “Our houses were built so much better!”
Myth or reality? Obviously, we don’t build today the way we did in the past.
Indeed, it is now possible to assemble a house in 12 weeks compared to
12 months two or three generations ago.
However, can we say that changes in building techniques, materials and tools that took place over the last decades enable us today to design and build better houses? Not so long ago, the building of a house required large amounts of wood, either for the foundation, the walls or the roof. Around building sites, one often heard the old saying: “Too strong never breaks”. Consequently, beams, joists and rafters took considerable space.
Yesterday’s houses
Actually, though durable and easy to
renovate, “good old” houses did not
provide a breathtaking performance.
On the contrary, many of them were
practically sieves that let all the cold air
get through! Of course, air quality in
these buildings was excellent, with the
wind coming in from all around! Plus,
aside from their voracious appetites for
energy, these homes were too dry and
provided limited comfort to the occupants.
Among houses built prior to
1970, this is likely the aspect that leaves
the most to be desired.
.
The evolution in materials and
tools, the sharing of information and
the dissemination of new techniques
enabled the industry to make improvements.
Thanks to computer science,
there is now software capable of optimizing
the design of structures and
downsizing them. Lastly, the arrival ofengineering equipment has led to
evolving designs and new open space
concepts.
Furthermore, the oil crises in the ‘70s and ’80s have pushed research scientists and designers to focus on the performance of a home’s envelope. This resulted in the appearance of a number of new insulation materials as well as the fine tuning of air barriers. This idea of air tightness for a building’s envelope was behind a brand new concept: a house designed as a “system”.
Today’s houses
Higher performing and better installed materials, effective vapour barriers, energy-efficient windows –thanks in particular to the development of glass containing gas and reflective film – all contributed to improving houses’ energy efficiency. For these reasons, today’s houses are far superior to yesterday’s homes. Given current and forecasted energy costs, this is something to consider as a matter of priority.
Source : APCHQ and Jacques Beaulieu Consultant