MC024-7.8 Hygrothermal Modelling in Practice: Dynamic Condensation Analysis for Facades
One Old Wall, Insulated From Inside — A Complete Framework for Dynamic Hygrothermal Simulation
About This CPD
Join us for a hands-on technical CPD on dynamic hygrothermal modelling. This session takes on a job that sounds harmless: insulating an old, solid masonry wall from the inside. Add insulation on the inside, and the masonry behind it turns colder and wetter than it used to be — a risk the simple, month-by-month condensation check cannot see.
Presented by Eugene Korch (IAST), this course follows one real wall through the complete dynamic hygrothermal workflow, from the decision to use it through to a defensible, multi-year verdict.
This course covers:
Why dynamic analysis is needed — the trigger cases the simpler method cannot see: interior insulation, absorbent masonry, vapour-open build-ups, and green roofs
Deciding the method and selecting the fragment — the worst rain-exposed cross-section, and which risks — buried joists, reveals — need the two-dimensional tool instead
Collecting input data — the five things to gather first, including the two extra moisture properties this method demands: storage and liquid transport
Building the assembly — honest material data, real details like coatings and vapour-control membranes, and monitor points at the real risk spots
Setting exposure, climates, and run length — orientation, surface coefficients, a realistic starting moisture, and a run long enough to reach a repeating annual cycle
Verifying, running, and reading the result — catching the errors that never trigger a warning, and judging mould, frost, and rot at the worst point, not the average
Reporting and common errors — what a defensible dynamic report must contain, and the invisible mistakes that hide in a poor start, a short run, or a misread result
Using one real worked wall from start to finish, this CPD focuses on practical judgement — not just how to run a simulation, but how to know when to trust it.
What You'll Learn:
Judge when a wall genuinely needs dynamic hygrothermal analysis rather than the simpler, monthly condensation check, and recognise the trigger cases: interior insulation, absorbent masonry, vapour-open build-ups, and green roofs
Select a representative cross-section for dynamic analysis, and choose the worst, most rain-exposed orientation to test the hardest case a wall will really face
Distinguish which risks belong in a one-dimensional cross-section and which — such as a buried timber joist end or a window reveal — require the two-dimensional version of the programme instead
Assemble the five categories of input data a dynamic run needs: the build-up, full material moisture properties, the outdoor climate, the indoor climate, and a realistic starting moisture
Identify the two additional material properties dynamic analysis requires beyond thermal conductivity and vapour resistance: moisture storage and liquid (capillary) transport
Build a wall assembly honestly inside a dynamic hygrothermal programme, assigning real rather than generic material data, and modelling real details such as coatings, ventilated cavities, and smart vapour-control membranes
Choose sensible monitor positions at the locations most likely to fail — an interface, a buried element, an interior surface — before running a calculation
Set orientation, height, and surface transfer coefficients correctly, including the special case of a ventilated cladding’s true outside boundary
Choose a realistic, defensible starting moisture for each layer, and explain why an unrealistic starting point corrupts the whole run
Assign an hour-by-hour outdoor climate and a use-appropriate indoor humidity class, and explain why both must reflect the real project rather than a convenient assumption
Set a calculation run long enough to reach a repeating annual cycle, and a grid fine enough to resolve the most critical interface
Verify a dynamic model before running it, focusing scrutiny on the handful of inputs that most influence the result
Recognise a healthy run by its repeating seasonal water-content rhythm, and identify the warning signs of an unstable or slowly worsening result
Assess a wall's long-term moisture balance and its critical points against the three real failure questions: mould, frost damage, and timber rot
Produce a defensible dynamic hygrothermal report containing every source, assumption, and data gap, illustrated with graphics that prove the verdict on their own
Recognise the most common invisible errors in dynamic hygrothermal modelling — the wrong climate or orientation, unreliable moisture data, a poor starting point or a run cut short, and misreading a genuinely good result
Who Should Attend:
Façade Engineers, Building Physics Consultants, Retrofit and Heritage Specialists, Architects, Building Envelope Consultants, Project Managers, and Design Managers.
This session is designed for anyone assessing moisture risk in solid, absorbent, or internally insulated walls — particularly retrofit and heritage projects where the simpler condensation check is not enough.
Speakers
Eugene Korch
Programme Director, IASTEugene is a façade engineer and educator who leads educational initiatives through the Institute for Architectural Science and Technology (IAST) and Facade Intelligence, delivering training to construction professionals.
Course Schedule
Format: Online
CPD Points: 2 hours structured CPD / 2 Learning Units
Certificate: CPD certificate provided upon completion
MC024-7.8
Hygrothermal Modelling in Practice: Dynamic Condensation Analysis for Facades
This course introduces to the transient hygrothermal simulation approach that addresses these limitations – the method increasingly specified when Glaser alone is not sufficient to demonstrate moisture safety.
Course Fee £120
Free for FI Pro Members
