Past Meetings

January 2021 Monthly Meeting

When
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Meeting Title
Thermal Continuity of the Building Skin: Detail-Level Insight into The Balance of Thermal Separation and Structural Support
Location

Live Zoom Webinar. Pre-registration is required at the link below.

Presenters
Will Babbington, AIA, PE
Description

The impacts of thermal bridging have long been known in the building industry. Balconies, floor/wall interfaces, shelf angles, canopies/overhangs, penetrations, and parapets have a significant impact upon energy performance, condensation resistance, building durability, and occupant comfort. This presentation will begin by exploring the importance of thermal bridging in Oregon and other climates. Additionally, the speaker will address multiple building types, sizes, wall constructions, and costs, showing numerous real-world examples showing how thermal bridging can be mitigated at numerous conditions around the building skin.

Will Babbington is the Facade Design Director and Principal at Studio NYL. He has designed and realized award-winning structural and skin projects which merge high performance, high design, and constructability. Will is also the current National Chair for the Building Enclosure Council as well as Past-Chair for BEC-Colorado. He is a representative for AIA National on the ASHRAE 90.1 Envelope Subcommittee, a voting member on the ASTM Committee E06 on Performance of Buildings, and a developer and trainer for ASTM’s / NIBS’ new Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx) certificate program.

1 AIA LU/HSW

December 2020 Monthly Meeting

When
-
Meeting Title
Modern Architectural Sealants
Location

Live Zoom Webinar. Pre-registration is required at the link below.

Presenters
Steve Lawrey, AIA
Description

Properly designing, installing, and maintaining sealant joints will prolong the life of any structure. When exterior sealants fail, the integrity of the entire building is at risk. Yet, when selecting and specifying joint sealants for their projects, architects and specifiers are faced with a myriad of options. This program will aid design professionals in making sense of the many considerations. The program presents fundamental joint sealant concepts, including formulation chemistries, applications, specification classifications, performance characteristics, preconstruction testing, joint design criteria, and application procedures. ASTM C 920 Standard Specification for Elastomeric Joint Sealants is discussed and used as the basis for information presented.

Steven Lawrey, AIA, CSI, CCPR, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP, NCARB is Pecora Corporation’s building science engineer and architectural services specialist. A registered architect in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, his career has focused on the technical aspects of architecture and construction. Armed with a solid background in design development, detailing, construction drawings, and construction administration, over a 15-year span Steve researched, coordinated, and wrote construction specifications for over 300 commercial construction projects, including health care, historic preservation, and corporate. Since reinventing himself as a building product manufacturer’s trusted advisor nearly 10 years ago, Steve has provided technical leadership and guidance to construction project teams, manufacturing and educational associations, and standards organizations. In particular, he has responded to countless requests from facility owners, design professionals, and contractors for unique project-specific product and application solutions; made product/application recommendations based on specification interpretation; oversaw model code and product compliance; and managed product testing projects. He champions Pecora’s sustainable product initiatives and is a 20-plus year CSI member having served as president of the Philadelphia chapter and on the board of the Middle Atlantic Region.

November 2020 Monthly Meeting

When
-
Meeting Title
Historic Terra Cotta Restoration: Guidelines and Details
Location

Live Zoom Webinar. Pre-registration is required at the link below.

Presenters
Roy Ingraffia
Description

This program provides an introduction to terra cotta as an architectural cladding material, its manufacturing, overview of its performance, and methods of installation & repair. Terra cotta, as an architectural material in the United States, was used profusely from the late nineteen century until the 1950's as a durable and decorative material and continues to be chosen as a unique solution for creative cladding solutions. Terra cotta is a high-performance material, however when failure does occur it is generally associated with original detailing, poor building maintenance, and reaction to secondary materials in the wall assembly. Specific information will be provided on repair materials and techniques that are suitable for terra cotta buildings and their various construction types.

Roy Ingraffia is an Associate of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC). In his role, Roy directs IMI’s marketing, industry development, research, and technical services programs nationwide.

He is an Architectural Conservator with experience in design and contracting capacities and his professional work has primarily focused on the preservation of historic masonry structures through research of traditional materials/methods and development of contemporary restoration techniques. In addition to his work with IMI, Roy teaches the Masonry Conservation Seminar within the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at the University of Pennsylvania.

October 2020 Monthly Meeting

When
-
Meeting Title
Practical Review of Wind Tunnel Testing for Buildings
Location

Live Zoom Webinar. Pre-registration is required at the link below.

Presenters
Dr. John Kilpatrick, Ph.D.
Description

As the complexity of building geometries and façade systems grows, consultants may have reservations about the applicability of code-based methods for design. The performance of novel façade systems may be better understood through a performance-based wind design (PBWD) approach.

Application of PBWD requires wind tunnel generated building-specific wind loading inputs. The measurement of wind loads on façades of buildings can be carried out with a high degree of accuracy in boundary layer wind tunnels, and when incorporated properly into the design these data will lead to more efficient and economical outcomes.

Topics related to the prediction of facade design wind loads are examined in this presentation, including a thorough review of the wind tunnel testing and analysis process, integration of wind tunnel data with local wind climate, internal pressures considerations, and application of the wind tunnel technique to novel façade features and systems. A brief overview of the recently released Prestandard for Performance-Based Wind Design developed by the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will also be provided.

John Kilpatrick, Ph.D., P.Eng., C.Eng., F.ICE, is the Wind Engineering Practice Leader at RWDI and a Principal of the firm. John is a former Chair of the UK Wind Engineering Society, and is a contributing author to the ASCE/SEI Prestandard for Performance-Based Wind Design and ASCE 49 Standard for Wind Tunnel Testing for Buildings and Other Structures.

September 2020 Monthly Meeting

When
-
Meeting Title
Postmodern Predicament: A Case Study of the Portland Building Facade Replacement
Location

Live Zoom Webinar. Pre-registration is required at the link below.

Presenters
Erica Ceder, DLR Group
Ian Eikanas, KPFF
Description

The Portland Building is an internationally recognized work of Postmodern architecture by master architect Michael Graves. For decades, the building suffered from multiple performance issues leading the City of Portland to initiate a project in 2016 that would comprehensively address existing building performance issues and modernize the building. The project included the addition of a new skin over the existing exterior, creating a weather-tight enclosure with improved thermal comfort and increased daylighting. This case study will explore the challenges related to applying a new envelope system over an existing façade from both historic preservation and structural perspectives.

Erica Ceder specializes in the restoration and rehabilitation of historic properties and has served as Project Architect for a variety of projects listed on the National Register of Historic Places for both public and private clients. Her depth of knowledge in the physical properties of historic building materials is a significant asset, as is her experience in performing condition assessments and making treatment recommendations. Erica brings additional value as an expert in navigating the complex historic approval process.

For more than a decade, Ian Eikanas has worked on a wide variety of projects, from seismic upgrades of historic structures to complex and eye-catching new athletic facilities. Ian genuinely enjoys the collaborative process between the architect and engineer, blending creativity with finite logistics. Recently, Ian managed the structural engineering of the unitized curtain wall design on the 73 story Wilshire Grand Center Tower located in Los Angeles, California. Ian earned both his BS and MS degrees in civil engineering from Washington State University and became a LEED accredited professional in order to bring a deeper understanding of sustainability to the job.

August 2020 Monthly Meeting

When
-
Meeting Title
Implementation of Seismic Isolation for Historic Retrofits: A Case Study of the Oregon Supreme Court Renovation Project
Location

Live Zoom Webinar. Pre-registration is required at the link below.

Presenters
Geoff Bomba, SE
Description

Seismic base isolation is a technology that is used to enhance the seismic performance of buildings and renovate existing buildings. The use of base isolation will be discussed as well as its benefits to new and historic structures. As a case study, the historic Oregon Supreme Court renovation will be discussed and it's use of base isolation to improve the seismic performance and save this historic structure from significant damage.

Geoff is a Principal and licensed structural engineer with Forell/Elsesser Engineers in San Francisco, California. He has over 17 years of experience in the structural engineering design and implementation of seismic design and renovation of existing structures. His experience includes various projects across all market sectors including historic renovation using seismic isolation. Geoff’s involvement with architecturally expressive structural designs that have unique forms provide additional experience and knowledge for his projects.

1 AIA LU/HSW

July 2020 Monthly Meeting

When
-
Meeting Title
Getting the Drift: Cladding Drift
Location

Live Zoom Webinar. Pre-registration is required at the link below.

Presenters
D. Scott Nyseth, Stonewood Structural Engineers
Description

Review the building drift from wind and seismic loads. Discuss the new various return intervals for wind storms, and how that affects the various components of the building facade. Review new code provisions for solar, pavers, ballast, etc. Review char formation in mass timber, and how that may affect the connection of facade elements to the mass timber frame.

With more than 20 years of Structural Engineering experience, Scott Nyseth has worked in the design of multi-story mixed-use and residential buildings, commercial and industrial structures, rehabilitation of existing buildings, contractor design support during construction, post-earthquake investigation and evaluation of commercial and marine structures.  His passion for engineering, and inventive nature are evident by his quest to provide the most economical structural solutions and to ensure optimal building performance and safety of each structure.  Mr. Nyseth has consulted in the evaluation, analysis, design, testing and retrofit of a multitude of building types.  He also provides legal consultation services as they relate to structures and building envelopes.  Mr. Nyseth is well versed in smart design approaches for sustainability and net zero energy efficiencies.

June 2020 Monthly Meeting

When
-
Meeting Title
Masonry Movement Joints
Location

Live Zoom Webinar. Pre-registration is required at the link below.

Presenters
Pat Conway, AIA
Description

This presentation addresses the movement characteristics of vertical masonry wall systems. Focus is on best practice for design and construction of expansion and control joints to accommodate and/or restrict masonry material movement. It does not address sealant or backer rod selection.

Pat Conway, AIA is the Director of Industry Development and Technical Services for the International Masonry Institute. He is a registered architect in Wisconsin with expertise in masonry plan and specification review, designing and detailing durable masonry walls, air barriers, movement joints, rain screen walls, troubleshooting, adhered veneers, and high performing wall systems. He has a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Minnesota.