Linear Thermal Bridging: LBNL THERM

This 120-minute course provides comprehensive training in linear thermal bridging analysis using THERM software, covering theoretical foundations through practical modeling applications. Designed for building physics professionals, facade engineers, and energy consultants, it develops expertise in quantifying and optimising thermal bridge performance in building envelope details.

Key Course Content

This course establishes thermal bridging fundamentals through the core psi (ψ) calculation equation, covering geometric, construction, and hybrid thermal bridge types and their impacts on energy performance, moisture risk, and building durability. You'll work with international standards ISO 10211 and ISO 6946, learning boundary conditions and film coefficients for different exposure scenarios.

Practical training begins with THERM software installation and configuration, including material library setup and optimal workflow settings. The course teaches multiple geometry creation approaches: native THERM drawing using polygon tools with keyboard input, plus DXF import from SketchUp and Rhino for complex details.

Five progressive modelling sessions cover common thermal bridge details: external wall corners, internal wall corners, mid-floor systems, wall-roof junctions, and balcony connections. Each demonstrates complete workflows from geometry creation through material assignment, boundary condition setup, simulation execution, and results interpretation. You'll master L2D and L1D calculations, learning to isolate boundary conditions and verify accuracy through isotherms analysis.

The course emphasises quality control through systematic verification procedures, error identification techniques, and professional documentation standards. Advanced topics include thermal bridge optimisation strategies and automated calculation workflows using integrated tools that process THERM outputs into verified psi values for building certifier submissions.

Learning Outcomes

Participants will develop comprehensive skills in linear thermal bridging analysis, from theoretical understanding through practical THERM modelling capabilities, enabling them to quantify thermal bridge performance, identify optimisation opportunities, and produce professional-grade documentation for building performance assessments and compliance submissions.

Course Completion

A Certificate of Completion will be awarded upon achieving an 80% pass mark on the final quiz.