Playbook: Dealing with Thermal Bridging in Net-Zero Energy-Ready Building Design

Minimizing thermal bridging through the building envelope is a key design aspect for achieving net-zero energy-ready (NZER) buildings. However, this can seem quite complicated for project teams, especially when much of the envelope is unknown during the early building design stage.

Finding the optimal envelope solution for thermal performance that also incorporates architectural intent, cost savings, constructibility and durability is only achieved when the entire project team is engaged to collectively meet these goals.

This playbook outlines good design practices for anticipating and dealing with thermal bridging in order to meet the expectations of the BC Energy [Step Code], Passive House or other NZER standards. The intent of this document is to provide guidance for design teams including developers, architects and consultants, to effectively tackle thermal bridging while meeting all project goals, not just thermal performance.

Date Published: July 2021