Past Meetings

An introduction to the LBNL software THERM will be presented. Six wall assemblies commonly used from 2000-2020 are analyzed and described. Each assembly has performance positives and negatives and these can be shown by using the software.

We will discuss total R value of wall assemblies and dew point locations. There will be discussion of how to avoid mold and condensation in walls by proper analysis. Keeping the building warm and dry prevents mold, saves energy, and keeps occupants safe and healthy.

Mike Meade is an Architect with Hennebery Eddy Architects. He graduated from the University of Oregon, and has worked in Portland since the year 2000. He has been part of teams that have built several buildings in Portland, including OHSU Kohler Pavilion, Mercy Corps Global Headquarters, Cyan/PDX, the Vista North Pearl Condos, and the PDX Concourse E Extension.

Mike has a passion for building technology and is the Vice President of the Portland Building Enclosure Council.

Drawing on his experience working on the rehabilitation of major institutional buildings and focusing on early-to-mid 20th century masonry construction, the speaker will discuss technical approaches to masonry whole-façade replacement while keeping a building fully operational. The presentation will cover structural engineering, building enclosure design, energy efficiency improvement, constructability, logistical, and economic aspects of overcladding projects. In particular attendees/readers will learn about:

• Building condition assessment and investigation to form the basis of a rehabilitation design
• Building code requirements relating to building overclad design
• Building enclosure design strategies and energy saving opportunities
• Logistical and planning aspects for uninterrupted building operation
• Structural engineering requirements and design strategies
• Common masonry recladding materials and their advantages and limitations

Michael H. Chafetz joined Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. (SGH) in 2013. He is a licensed engineer in Massachusetts with a degree in civil engineering. He manages building envelope projects for various university, architect, owner and developer clients, including large multi-year envelope restoration projects, in which SGH acts as the prime designer. He specializes in investigation and restoration of contemporary and historic buildings, as well as condition assessments, new construction design consulting and litigation support.

1 AIA LU/HSW

One of the many challenges of innovation in building enclosure design is the risk of using technologies and materials that have limited track records. Especially when a premium is paid to attain expected performance benefits and energy savings, failure can be both counter-productive and costly. However, using only time-tested strategies and materials may not be desirable in an environment of rapidly evolving technology and accelerated construction schedules. When extensive testing data is not available, drawing from past experience can be an effective way to address this risk of uncertainty.

Through conducting building forensic investigations in the past two decades, we have observed trends in the causes of building enclosure failures that are common across a large variety of building enclosure systems. We have also noticed new and emerging issues associated with younger, “high-tech,” buildings that were not as prevalent in more traditional construction. This presentation will highlight some of our findings, discuss emerging issues through case studies of forensic investigations, and suggest design strategies to improve the as-installed performance of assemblies with limited track records.

Grace is a registered Architect and Professional Engineer in the State of Washington. She specializes in forensic investigation, assessment, and repair design of existing structures and new construction. She is passionate about finding solutions for the built environment that are practical, economical, and socially responsible. She has expertise in modeling and analyzing the behavior of building structures and enclosure systems and applying data analytics to the building enclosure practice. Grace also takes an active role in the professional community, serving as a board member on the Seattle Building Enclosure Council.

1 AIA LU/HSW

Windspeed and wind pressures are concepts that often causes confusion and anxiety for many building professions when it comes to component and cladding design and specifications. In this course, the speaker will break down the differences between Strength Design and Allowable Stress Design approaches and discuss when each design methodology is appropriate for component and cladding design. Wind load maps for Oregon have changed in the recent iteration of the 2019 OSSC resulting in lower wind pressures in many local areas potentially lowering the cost for components and cladding systems. The speaker will discuss how these lower wind pressures can be applied to specifying windows to be more structurally efficient while maintaining separate water test pressure performance criteria. Roofing and associated components will also be explored.

Over more than 30 years, Dave Young has focused his career on building enclosure consulting, from the east to west coasts with the past 15 years in Portland, Oregon. Dave spent the first decade of his career with a structural engineering consulting firm in Canada. His experience ranges from single-family homes to large high-rise commercial, institutional, and multifamily residential buildings in new construction as well as building enclosure rehabilitation, repair, maintenance and forensic investigation.

David holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and is a licensed professional engineer in OR and WA. He is a principal of RDH Building Science Inc. and is currently Chair of the Portland Building Enclosure Council.

1 AIA LU/HSW

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.

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.

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.