R-value (insulation) typical straw bale houses have very thick walls and thus are well insulated. Snow is roughly R-1 per inch. Brick has a very poor insulating ability at a mere R-0.2 per inch; however it does have a relatively good thermal mass. Note that the above examples all use the U.S. (non-SI) definition for R-value. When determining the overall thermal resistance of a building assembly such as a wall or roof, the insulating effect of the surface air film is added to the thermal resistance of the other materials. In practice the above surface values are used for floors, ceilings, and
Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry to a government authority'. On 29 August 2001, the Governor-General issued Commonwealth Letters Patent pursuant to "the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia", the and other enabling powers" appointing The Honourable Justice Terence Cole as the sole Commissioner and the commission's terms of reference. The commissioner was directed "...to inquire into certain matters relating to the building and construction industry..." Subsequent to the Royal Commission, Cole was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2005 for "service to the judiciary, particularly judicial administration, to reform of the building and construction industry, and to the community through the