Breathing Room-Solutions for Attawapiskat-Reseach Proposal-Apr.11.12

8/2/2019 Breathing Room-Solutions for Attawapiskat-Reseach Proposal-Apr.11.12

1/12

BREATHINGROOM

BREATHING ROOM: SOLUTIONS FORATTAWAPISKAT

SUSANREID THOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITY


2/12

Breathing Room 2

ABSTRACT

Breathing Room: Solutions for Attawapiskat is an examination of the common problem of mould growth in

conventionally framed residential buildings in Attawapiskat, Ontario, and proposes solutions in the form of

resistant alternate wall assemblies. I am compiling background research from primary and secondary sources to

form an hypothesis for suitable test walls. Over a period of four months, I will be conducting a practical

experiment with one conventionally framed wall, and three proposed solution walls to test my hypothesis. This

experiment will be overseen by the science department of Thompson Rivers University to ensure the accuracy and

integrity of the results. I expect that at the end of the experimental period, the conventionally framed wall will

show significant mould growth, while the test walls show less or none. My conclusions, which should have

supporting results for the alternate wall assemblies, will be forwarded as recommendations to the Aboriginal

Housing department of the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, as well as to the Ontario Ministry of

Aboriginal Affairs.


3/12

Breathing Room 3

BREATHING ROOM: SOLUTIONS FOR ATTAWAPISKAT

Statement of Purpose:

In my research paper, I will first identify the culturally and geographically determined specific humidity, commonly

seen in an average residence in Attawapiskat, and relate it to accelerated mould growth in the building

frame. Secondly, I will propose an alternate wall assembly solution that will resist mould growth significantly

better than a conventionally framed wall. The proposed solutions will be based on background research I am

currently doing and will be tested between June and October 2012. During this time, I will be conducting an

experiment approximating the indoor conditions in an average residence in Attawapiskat to study the effects on a

conventionally framed wall and 3 proposed solution walls. I am expecting the conventionally framed wall to

develop mould because of its current prevalence in the local housing. In addition, I expect that the proposed

solutions would be mould-free or have less growth. The three proposed solution walls will be chosen for their

mould resistant hygrothermal qualities , low embodied energy level representative of sustainable technology, and

ease of construction and maintenance.

Background:

There are several reasons why this is an important topic to me. I grew up in Northwestern Ontario, have Ojibwe

ancestors, have had First Nations friends, and have seen some of the conditions described in current news articles.

As concerned as I am about social conditions of our first people, I am convinced that many problems could be

solved by practical means, if we are able to address them by responding to the needs of cultural realities. I felt

that a problem with mould growth in the current housing, simply suggested that the houses needed to be built

differently, and with mould-resistant materials. My solution is to use materials and building practices to create


4/12

Breathing Room 4

homes that serve the people who live in them, rather than expect the occupants to adapt to serving the needs of

the building.

Significance:

The housing problems at Attawapiskat are equivalent to poor conditions in third world countries and are

unacceptable by standards enjoyed by the rest of Canada. While there are many social and political factors

contributing to the general situation, the specifics of mould growth in a house can be addressed in a practical

manner. As a technologist, I feel it will always be worthwhile to find the simplest, least expensive, and most

sustainable method of solving a problem; once the socio-political aspects are removed, we are left with just a

building challenge.

Approaching this challenge from the strictly technical side, I feel that I will learn more about the issues of building

in a northern climate, building for the needs of a specific culture, and materials properties.

As well, my research will add to the general field of building knowledge in significant ways. Although there have

been studies done on materials properties, there is little available which ties these disparate elements together

into complete building choices.. I intend to take the available materials information to make entire wall assemblies

based on mould-resistance, low maintenance, ease of construction, and sustainability. I feel there is a real need to

have the current primary research distilled into a coherent package. My experiment will test the validity of my

choices.

If my choices of solution walls are supported by test evidence at the end of the experiment, I will be able to share

my findings with the Aboriginal Housing department of the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the

Ontario Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, and other government and private builders working in similar conditions.

Ultimately, the value of this research lies in its application to all future building in Canada, regardless of cultural

setting. The philosophy behind this research is that fundamentally, buildings exist to serve the people who use

them, and not vice-versa. Following this, our building practices should allow ease of construction and

maintenance, and practise principles of sustainability. I also believe that we can solve everyday building problems

in Attawapiskat by simple and practical methods if we are willing to examine, in a strictly technical way, why the

current model fails.

Description:


5/12

Breathing Room 5

I will be doing both background research in order to make some preliminary choices as to my solution walls, and I

will also be conducting primary research through an experiment conducted over four months. I will be using the

data collected through this experiment to test the hypothesis formed from my background research.

My background research will consist of:

1. Reading primary data material from researchers involved in building and materials technology. This

material is available through online sources. Some material may be available through the TRU library.

2. Reading source materials and publications produced by Canadian federal and provincial government

agencies based on applicable studies regarding First Nations housing, and issues with mould growth in

buildings; most material is available online.

3. Personal interviews with people

a/ experienced in building in Northern Ontario

b/ experienced with the social culture of the residents of Attawapiskat

c/ with similar experience in British Columbia in building First Nations housing

d/ involved in biology studies at Northern Ontario universities to provide advice on mould in the

area

My experiment will be conducted from June 2012 through September 2012 in the Science Building of Thompson

Rivers University. I will be assisted by my Architectural and Engineering Technology mentor, Mindy Marshall, and

my Science Lab mentor, Dan Bissonette in setting up the apparatus for testing. I will also be assisted by the

Carpentry program in the Trades Department for the construction of the test walls, and the Biology program in the

Science Department for consultation on mould growth.

Methodology:

In my research, I will be using different methodology for both stages of the research. I will be doing the

background research as a solo effort. this will involve reading primary and secondary sources of materials testing,


6/12

Breathing Room 6

studying mould and its relationship to the building construction, and learning more about specifics pertaining to

Indian Reserve residences. For the background research, I will be using online and library sources for reading, and I

hope to speak to people in the local Ontario universities, government offices, and building trades. My mentor in

the Architectural and Engineering Technology program will be advising me throughout this process. At the end of

this research, I will select both the correct assembly for the control wall, as well as three test walls for possible

solutions. I will then draft construction plans for each wall at one quarter life size in order to build them.

The experiment will be conducted in the science building at Thompson Rivers University and will be overseen

chiefly by my mentor in the Science Department. The four built walls will be joined together to form a small sealed

room with a visible area for viewing the monitoring apparatus. It will be a practical, hands-on experiment,

testing the mould resistance of the walls in high humidity conditions. I will be monitoring and maintaining the

humidity by filling the experiment room with water vapour periodically. I may also need to artificially introduce

mould spores, but this has not yet been determined; the biology department at Thompson Rivers University will be

advising me about the mould.

At the end of September 2012, with the help of the biology advisor, and my mentors, I will be testing the walls for

mould growth.

Expected Results:

I expect that, at the end of four months, the conventionally framed wall will show substantial mould growth. Of

the three proposed solution walls, I expect that one or two will show significantly less mould growth, while I hope

that at least one wall will show no mould growth at all.

Limitations:

I foresee several limitations to my research; I expect that some will be eliminated by narrowing the scope of my

inquiry; some will be accommodated by creative method, and others I have already faced and surmounted.


7/12

Breathing Room 7

The first limitation I faced was a matter of time. As my topic came together, it was apparent that I would have to

compress my research time into a space of weeks rather than months in order to successfully stage an experiment

lasting several months. I was able to overcome this by careful scheduling of my time and enlisting assistance from

two research mentors, who in turn, were able to draw upon additional personnel resources.

My second challenge was the actual building of the four walls. Although I am familiar with designing and drawing

wall assemblies, I have not had the experience of actually building a wall, and I was not sure I would have time to

learn how to do this properly, or whether my efforts would result in a product comparable to a professional job.

Instead, I made arrangements to have the building done by carpentry students in the trades department of TRU in

order to create a more professional, and realistic, product.

I am anticipating limitations with how closely I will be able to replicate indoor living conditions in Attawapiskat in

my experiment; I`m expecting that even the type of mould that would be available in Northern Ontario may not be

present in Southern British Columbia. To overcome this, I will be working with my science mentor to focus my

testing with fewer variables; I may have to restrict the experiment to the relationship between high humidity,

mould growth, and wall materials.

In addition to anticipating experiment limitations, I may find that there is little information on the specifics of

mould, and type of wall construction in Attawapiskat. If this occurs, I will be using general information about the

area from local sources. That is, I can easily find information about mould from Lakehead University, and I can

contact local builders regarding typical construction techniques.

I may find that, in spite of my first research, that there is little hygrothermal study done on many alternate

construction methods. In this case, I will have to use general information available on wall assembly components,

and anecdotal knowledge from builders familiar with similar situations, to make reasonable choices for test walls.

At the end of testing, I could find little or no difference between the control and test walls. Although this would be

disappointing, a good report could still be made highlighting the differences between the theoretical expectations


8/12

Breathing Room 8

and the practical results. In this case, I would focus on the variables in the experiment that could cause the

deviation from expected results.


9/12

Breathing Room 9

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aboriginal Housing in Canada: Building on Promising Practices

The International Housing Coalition (IHC) Case Study 3

Retrieved from: http://www.aref.ab.ca/resourcelibrary/documents/case_study_ENGLISH.pdf

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

(2011) First nations Mold Remediation Case Study: Membertou First

Nation. Produced by CMHC 26-04-11

Retrieved from: http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/pdf/67294.pdf

(2011) First nations mold remediation Case study: Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve.

Produced by CMHC 29-04-11

Retrieved from: http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/pdf/67296.pdf?fr=1334186773245

(2011) First Nations Mold Remediation Case Study Tsartlip First Nation

Produced by CMHC 27-10-11


(2011) Mold in Housing Information for First Nations Communities: Guide to Mold-Resistant

Renovations and New Construction

CMHC Publication: ISBN: 978-1-100-18489-0. Cat. no.: NH17-56/3-2011E-PDF


Garman, Jennifer (1999). MS-SD Wall System Comparison

Retrieved from: http://www.jgarmandesign.com/MS%20sustainable%20design.html

Hameury, Stphane (2006). THE HYGROTHERMAL INERTIA OF MASSIVE TIMBER CONSTRUCTIONS

BYGGNADSMATERIAL. KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HGSKOLAN. TRITA-BYMA 2006:2.

ISBN 9171784608, 9789171784605
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/pdf/67294.pdfhttp://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/pdf/67294.pdfhttp://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/pdf/67296.pdf?fr=1334186773245http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/pdf/67296.pdf?fr=1334186773245http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/pdf/67296.pdf?fr=1334186773245http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/pdf/67294.pdf


10/12

Breathing Room 10

Retrieved from: http://www.dissertations.se/dissertation/699fd554f1/

Larsson, N.K. (1985). Energy Considerations in the Design of Northern Housing. BPN 55 July 1985 ISSN 0701-5216

Retrieved from: http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/obj/irc/doc/pubs/bpn/55_e.pdf

C. Maalouf, A.D. Tran Le, M. Lachi, E. Wurtz, T.H. Mai (2007). Effect of moisture transfer on thermal inertia in

simple layer walls: case of a vegetal fibre material. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICALMODELS AND METHODS IN APPLIED SCIENCES. Issue 1, Volume 5, 2011. Date: 2007-01-09

Retrieved from: http://www.naun.org/journals/m3as/19-544.pdf

Masonry Canada (2004). Fungal Mould Resistance Testing (FMRT) of Common Building

Materials According to MIL-STD 810E. Masonry Canada, Spring 2004

Retrieved from: http://www.ccmpa.ca/_Uploads/download/fungal.pdf

May, Neil (2005). Breathability: The Key to Building Performance

Retrieved from: http://www.greensteps.co.uk/tmp/assets/1163178050906.pdf

Nathanson, Tedd. Indoor Air Quality in Office Buildings: A Technical Guide. (1995).

Compiled by NRC National Research Council Canada. (2010). Ventilation Principles (COPE)

Retrieved from: http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/projects/irc/cope/principles-ventilation.html

Nore, Kristine (2009). Hygrothermal performance of ventilated wooden cladding.

ISBN Printed version: 978-82-471-1430-8. ISBN Electronic version: 978-82-471-1431-5. ISSN Doctoral

thesis at NTNU 2009:31

Retrieved from: http://www.ntnu.no/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=3722fd33-c9fa-4762-9bf1-

653d627236cd&groupId=10380
http://www.dissertations.se/dissertation/699fd554f1/http://www.dissertations.se/dissertation/699fd554f1/http://www.dissertations.se/dissertation/699fd554f1/http://www.naun.org/journals/m3as/19-544.pdfhttp://www.naun.org/journals/m3as/19-544.pdfhttp://www.naun.org/journals/m3as/19-544.pdfhttp://www.dissertations.se/dissertation/699fd554f1/


11/12

Breathing Room 11

NRC-CNRC Institute for Research in Construction. (2007). Mould Growth Chambers.

Retrieved from: http://wwwreno.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/obj/irc/doc/mould-growth.pdf

NRC Institute for Research in Construction. National Research Council Canada (2005). Mould in buildings.

Solplan Review: 120. Identifier #: 16863. NPArC #: 5752770

Retrieved from: http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/obj/irc/doc/pubs/visi418/visi418.pdf

NRC National Research Council Canada. (2010). Mould Growth in Buildings.

Retrieved from: http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/projects/irc/mould-growth.html

S a d, M.N.A. (2006). Task 2: Literature Review: Building Envelope, Heating, and

Ventilating Practices and Technologies for Extreme Climates. B-1239.2

Retrieved from: http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

Stastna, Kazi. (CBC News Posted: Nov 26, 2011 5:24 AM ET). Shacks and slop pails: infrastructure crisis on native

reserves

Retrieved from: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/11/24/f-first-nations-infrastructure.html

(CBC News Posted: Nov 28, 2011 5:10 AM ET). First Nations housing in dire need of overhaul

shortages.

Retrieved from: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/11/25/f-native-housing.html

A.D. Tran Lea, , C. Maaloufa, , T.H. Maia, E. Wurtzb, F. Collet (2010). Transient hygrothermal behaviour of a

hemp concrete building envelopeRetrieved from: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enbuild

The North: A Selected Bibliography Covering Housing, Building and Planning In Cold Climates

Canadian Housing Information Centre


12/12

Breathing Room 12

Retrieved from: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2011/schl-cmhc/NH15-466-2008.pdf

Vainio-Kaila, Tiina (2008). Multifunctional properties of wood in interior use.

Retrieved from: http://www.ewpa.com/Archive/2008/june/Paper_122.pdf

White-Harvey, Robert. J. (1998). COHOUSING: A SCANDINAVIAN LONGHOUSE, OR A TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO

MODERN HOUSING?

Retrieved from: http://www2.brandonu.ca/library/cjns/13.1/White-Harvey.pdf
http://www2.brandonu.ca/library/cjns/13.1/White-Harvey.pdfhttp://www2.brandonu.ca/library/cjns/13.1/White-Harvey.pdfhttp://www2.brandonu.ca/library/cjns/13.1/White-Harvey.pdf

Breathing Room-Solutions for Attawapiskat-Reseach Proposal-Apr.11.12

Documents

Transcript of Breathing Room-Solutions for Attawapiskat-Reseach Proposal-Apr.11.12