MC024-7.5 Heat Loss Calculation in the Area of a Point Thermal Bridge
From Wall Fragment to Building Figure — A Complete Practical Framework for Point Thermal Bridge (Chi-Value) Calculation
About This CPD
Join us for a hands-on technical CPD on point thermal bridge (chi-value) calculation. This session takes one real detail — a steel bracket that carries a balcony, bolted through the outside insulation back to the floor slab — and builds the complete calculation chain from scratch: from choosing a wall fragment to a number you can put to work in a real project.
Presented by Eugene Korch (IAST), this course is honest about the single most common invisible error in this kind of work — the wrong plain wall — and shows exactly how to catch it, along with three other mistakes that never trigger a warning.
This course covers:
Why a point bridge needs its own coefficient — area (U-value), line (linear value, ψ), and point (point value, χ) — three ways heat leaves a building, and why the smallest of the three can decide whether a facade passes
Our example and what we solve for — when an ordinary fixing is covered by a simple, standard-based correction, and when a shaped bracket or a manufacturer’s claim earns a full calculation
Choosing the wall fragment — why a single point needs a genuine three-dimensional fragment, and how to size it correctly by checking its edges
The two runs — calculating the same fragment with the bracket and without it, and why the plain wall you subtract has to be exactly right
Building and meshing the model — the single most dangerous mistake in this calculation, and the meshing rule that prevents it
Running the calculation and reading the point value — the three checks that confirm a trustworthy result: heat balance, a colour picture that bends toward the metal, and a positive, believable value
Using the point value — its own item in a building’s heat-loss figure for a rare fixing, or a small addition to a wall’s U-value for a repeating one
Producing the report and avoiding common mistakes — what a defensible point-bridge report must contain, and the invisible errors that hide in the plain wall, the mesh, and the fragment size
Using one real worked example from start to finish, this CPD focuses on practical judgement — not just how to get a number, but how to know when to trust it.
What You'll Learn
Recognise why a single point fixing — a bracket, bolt, or beam end — needs its own coefficient, separate from U-value and linear ψ-value
Judge when a simple, standard-based correction is enough for an ordinary fixing, and when a full three-dimensional calculation is required
Select and size a three-dimensional wall fragment around a single bracket correctly, confirming it is large enough by checking that its edges behave like plain wall
Recognise when two nearby fixings must be analysed together rather than as separate points
Understand the two-run method that produces a point value: calculating the same fragment once with the bracket and once without it, and reading the difference
Define the plain wall (flanking element) correctly — the U-value and area the programme subtracts — and recognise why an error here corrupts the result
Build and mesh a three-dimensional bracket model correctly, keeping the cells small enough that the steel is never lost from the calculation
Set correct boundary conditions for a point-bridge fragment, including the side faces that must carry no heat
Run a point-bridge calculation, confirm convergence, and apply the three checks that separate a trustworthy result from a plausible-looking wrong one
Distinguish a point value (χ, watts per degree) from an equivalent U-value, and know why the latter is meaningless without a stated area
Use a point value correctly in both directions: as its own item in a building's heat-loss figure for a few fixings, or as a small addition to a wall's U-value for many repeating fixings
Produce a defensible report for a point thermal bridge calculation, including the plain wall it was measured against
Recognise the most common invisible errors in point thermal bridge work — the wrong plain wall, double-counting metal as both a line and a point, a fragment cut too small, and cells too large to see the bracket
Who Should Attend
Architects, Architectural Technologists, Envelope Designers, Façade Specialist Contractors, Façade Engineers, Junior Façade Engineers, Building Envelope Consultants, Thermal Modelling Specialists, Project Managers, and Design Managers.
This session is designed for design professionals who need to build, run, or review a point thermal bridge calculation for a real project — particularly those working across multiple markets with different regulatory frameworks.
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
MC024-7.5
Heat Loss Calculation in the Area of a Point Thermal Bridge
From Wall Fragment to Building Figure — A Complete Practical Framework for Point Thermal Bridge (Chi-Value) Calculation
Course Fee £120
Free for FI Pro Members
