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I just saw the tag "building-physics" on a question about tire-balancing beads. Which seemed strange to me, as car tires have nothing to do with buildings.

On checking the tag wiki... there's nothing. Which isn't helpful. To me, "building-physics" sounds synonymous with "structural-engineering".

On checking the questions with the tag it doesn't appear that it's being used as a synonym for "structural-engineering", but then I can't see any common theme running through those questions at all!

My primary suggestion is therefore to burninate the tag. Should someone be able to tell me what the tag actually means, and write that into the tag-wiki, then I think the tag would justify retention.

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  • $\begingroup$ It's certainly not a synonym for structural engineering: it's pretty much the complement of it - the non-structural physics of buildings. $\endgroup$
    – 410 gone
    Nov 10, 2015 at 3:56

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Building Physics is the classification we use in academia and in private-sector engineering. Bauphysik is a pretty good equivalent in German. Here's a Cambridge University page on Building Physics, the Arup Page, and a UCL Professor of Building Physics.

It covers thermal conduction, convection, & radiation; heating and cooling; ventilation; transmission and management of water vapour & pollutants in buildings.

The tag is in use here on engineering, on Sustainability and on Physics

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I'm not sure how the anglophone world organizes knowledge about buildings. My first ssociation would be 'Bauphysik' (which is the literal translation of building physics and encompasses the physics of building but not structural engineering, materials or technical equipment. My old flat got mold around the (very modern) windows, explaining why most moisture gathers exactly at this place is classical Bauphysik.

So Bauphsik deals with heat transfer, air movement, moisture and I think noise. Is building engineering physics a widely used term, and is it useful here?

My suggestion for a ddefinition would be:

The science of moisture, air and heat transfer in a building.

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  • $\begingroup$ I've made this community wiki so the definition is easier to edit (does this even work this way?) $\endgroup$
    – mart
    Nov 9, 2015 at 7:36
  • $\begingroup$ This definition does seem to match a good proportion of the questions. I'm trying to think what word/phrase I would personally use for it. I think "Mechanical and Electrical Engineering for Buildings" is the closest, but I don't think that really works for natural air movement. $\endgroup$
    – AndyT
    Nov 9, 2015 at 9:03
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    $\begingroup$ Classically Bauphysik does not deal with the design or selection of technical equipment but with the processes you want to influence with insulation, ventilation, heating ... so I think M&E Engineering for buildings would miss the mark. Is there a name for the body of knowledge you need to design a Passivhaus? That could be it. Not sure since I don't work in the field. $\endgroup$
    – mart
    Nov 9, 2015 at 9:09
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Is the general theme of the tag: "How do things that are frequently in a building work?" That seems to be the best connecting thread.

If that is how others see it, I vote to get get rid of the tag. It is at best a meta-tag for topics that fall into other categories.

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  • $\begingroup$ No, that's not the general theme of the tag $\endgroup$
    – 410 gone
    Nov 10, 2015 at 3:47

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