Past Meetings

Lindsey Pflugrath, an attorney with Skellenger Bender, P.S., will present a case study involving a recent jury verdict in a public, design-build project and catastrophic injuries to a State worker. Ms. Pflugrath will discuss the risks presented by joint venture partnerships on design-build projects, how employer immunity can shift risk to design and construction professionals, the importance of contract-specific contracts, and the new “failure to warn” negligence theory.

Lindsey Pflugrath (Floo-grath) is a partner with the law firm of Skellenger Bender, P.S., located in Seattle, Washington. Lindsey’s practice focuses on all aspects of construction law. She advises clients on risk management, and represents clients in litigation involving claims for personal injury, breach of contract, cost or schedule overruns, negligence, safety violations, and construction defects. Lindsey is serving her second term as a member of the board of Directors of the AIA Seattle, and she is the current President of the Seattle Architecture Foundation. She is also involved in ACEC, AACE, the Urban Land Institute, and the GeoProfessionals Business Association. She is a frequent speaker on legal issues affecting the construction industry. Lindsey is admitted to practice and advises clients in Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Arizona.

Surprisingly little research has been done into the effectiveness of different drip edge designs. Drip edges are found at window sills, window head flashing, and the edges of roofs and balconies – all critical areas for managing rainwater. By deflecting rain from the exterior surface of a wall, drip edges can reduce moisture-related issues such as freeze thaw of masonry, staining of the cladding, and potential long term erosion of historical materials. In this session, Jonathan Smegal will describe recent research into effective drip edge design. The study he will discuss used a custom-designed apparatus to compare the effectiveness of different drip edge materials, profiles and overhang distances. The results show a significant range in performance. Based on these results, practical guidelines will be suggested for choosing the best drip edge for your project.

Jonathan Smegal’s work for BSCI includes laboratory research, hygrothermal modelling, field monitoring of wall performance, and forensic analysis of building failures. He worked for Balanced Solutions from 2005-2007, joining BSCI in 2007 after finishing his thesis on Drainage in Small Cavities in Wall Systems as part of the Building Engineering Group at the University of Waterloo. Jonathan’s research has included, among other things, cladding deflection tests, drainage balance testing and specialized water uptake and vapour permeance testing. His experience in the lab is complemented by his experience in the field, where he has been involved with forensic work and numerous new construction site audits for residential and commercial construction. As a speaker, Jonathan has addressed a range of audiences at academic conferences, corporate training events, and online. For example, he presented papers at the 2013 Buildings XII Conference and at the 2014 Canadian Building Science and Technology Conference, and has spoken at workshops and other events on diverse topics including cladding attachment, SPF in cathedral ceilings, and rainwater management in wall systems.

This tour will feature in-progress construction of the largest Passive Haus project in North America to date. Attendees will hear from both the design and construction teams about the challengers and solutions to creating a project that will meet the Passive Haus standard. The design and construction team will share their experiences as members of a collaborative team that has worked together to come up with solutions to meet the high level of air tightness and thermal barrier continuity required by the Passive Haus standard. Of particular interest will be the changes to the design process required by the construcion schedule and methods of construction. A thorough review of the building enclosure construction will highlight air control and thermal control continuity, both as designed and as constructed.

Martin Houston, AIA, is the Quality Director for Walsh Construction Co. (WCC) in Portland, Oregon. He has a B.Arch. degree from the University of Cincinnati, holds a California architect’s license, is a LEED Accredited Professional, and is a certified Building Science Thermographer. With WCC since 2006, Martin’s focus includes ensuring overall building quality while concentrating on high performance envelopes and emerging technologies for building envelope commissioning and diagnosis. Michael Bonn is a Senior Associate at Ankrom Moisan Architects in Portland Oregon. Michael has deep experience and expertise in multi-family housing with an emphasis on high performance design.

Over the past few decades the use of glass and glazing on our high rise buildings has increased dramatically. More recently, as a result of increased industry recognition of the importance of energy efficiency, the trend is towards more energy efficient glazing systems. However, there are instances of implementation of new technology which have resulted in premature and costly failures.

Several case studies will be used to show and explain the variety of problems that can occur with glass and glazing after installation, and will offer designers risk reduction recommendations to avoid the most common causes of failures.

Brian Hubbs has over 20 years’ experience as a consultant practicing exclusively in the field of building science. Recognized by his peers as being a practical building science engineer and researcher who consistently delivers innovative solutions, Brian has a unique blend of theoretical and hands-on knowledge gained from completing hundreds of building enclosure investigations and rehabilitation projects as well as from design consulting and construction review of building enclosures for new buildings.

1 LU/HSW

Cold applied liquid applied waterproofing and roofing membranes of various chemistries (e.g. polyurethane, polyurea, polyester, and asphalt modified urethanes etc.) have become increasingly popular in past decades, particularly over concrete podium slab, roof decks, and planters in protected (i.e. inverted) roofing applications. Liquid membranes are often preferred in this application for their relative low cost, ease of application over complicated curbs, planters, water features and at penetrations and interfaces. While cold-applied membranes have their benefits in waterproofing – they have had their share of problems.

Over a decade ago, the roofing industry began to find systemic water-filled blisters under many of these cold-applied membranes, in cases so severe that the premature replacement of these membranes has now become commonplace. Field studies have shown that these water filled blisters become visible within the first 5 years of service and progressively get worse and grow over time with expanding pressure until entire roof areas are consumed. Water leaks occur with time and displaced or floating pavers and other landscaping components are also a common side effect. A decade ago, the cause of the blisters had the industry scratching its head and a wide range excuses from inadequate membrane thickness and pin-holes, detailing, shoddy workmanship, to outward vapor drive were supposedly to blame.

Being curious as to what was actually causing these water filled blisters to form, a study was initiated to find the physical building science mechanism responsible. This study encompassed field studies, building monitoring, and several iterative laboratory experiments, until eventually the water transport process of osmosis was confirmed. This presentation covers the story of how the phenomenon of osmosis was discovered, the physical mechanism of osmotic blistering and the scenarios where it can occur, and the new testing protocol developed. The test results for a wide range of new and aged membranes commonly used within the roofing and waterproofing industry will be presented along with recommendations for the material properties needed to prevent blistering from occurring.

Graham is a Principal and Building Science Research Specialist with RDH. He has a passion for technology and for making better and more energy efficient buildings. He leads RDH’s building science research group and is actively involved in a wide range of projects from building research studies to forensic investigations, building monitoring, hygrothermal modeling, and new construction across North America. Graham has authored several publications and practical industry guideline documents related to durable and energy efficient building enclosures. In addition to RDH, Graham is a part-time instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology where he teaches building science courses to students at the Diploma and Masters levels.

This course focuses on historic masonry and critical factors that lead to its degradation, with problems specific to Portland being highlighted. Changes in masonry construction, improper repairs, and the use of inappropriate materials during conservation will be addressed. New and on-site techniques will be discussed for the continued future of historic masonry.

Lauren Allsopp Ph.D. is an expert in historic preservation and Adjunct Professor teaching in the Historic Preservation program at the University of Oregon. She is also Principal of Anthemion International, a consulting firm specializing in the preservation of the built environment. Lauren has taught at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and was a tenured professor at Eastern Michigan University where she taught in the graduate Historic Preservation program. At Eastern, she was Director the RMS Titanic Conservation Laboratories in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Prior to her teaching career, Lauren was the architectural conservator at the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village. She holds a M.S. in Historic Preservation from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in architecture from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Her research focuses on vernacular architecture and the conservation of traditional materials, particularly masonry and mortars. Clients have included the National Park Service, the Hungarian Government, the Gila River Indian Community (Arizona) and R.M.S. Titanic, Inc.

This course will explore different types of aluminum curtainwall systems, their use, and design parameters.

Brad Glauser recently joined forces with Wausau Window & Wall Systems in April 2012. After receiving his education from University of Utah, and being the fourth generation to continue in the in construction industry, he followed his career path into construction management. Along the way he found his knack and love for the commercial glass industry.

He started by cutting his teeth between the Salt Lake City, Denver & Las Vegas markets as an estimator and field manager, his desire to grow lead him to the Northwest. Here, he's worked as a project manager for a national manufacture and glazing installer. This gave him the opportunity to work in various markets in the U.S.; from Virginia to Hawaii, Texas to Alaska, and Oklahoma to Northern California. This broad experience gave him a unique perspective of the required local, state & federal codes, building practices, and installation methods; especially when the Public Sector meets the Private Sector.

Since joining Wausau he has seen a lot of success in being an education source for the design and contracting community. He is passionate and very involved in the design and building community to assist in forwarding the progress and knowledge in further understanding commercial envelope glazing.

In the quest for durable, long lived building materials the construction industry has relied on products that are often toxic or harmful to the environment and the building occupants. This presentation discusses the Red List of toxic materials and what designers and specifiers can do to replace them. New trends in bio-based technologies will be discussed along with a challenge to the attendees to avoid such materials in their own practice.

James is a green building professional with a broad range of industry experience from design and construction to research and advocacy. He is a graduate from the University of Washington with degrees in Architecture and International Studies. Prior to joining the Institute, James worked on green building projects at the Seattle offices of MulvannyG2 and GGLO. After a trip to Hong Kong in 2008 he became fascinated with the incredible pace in scale of urban development in China and the potential for green building. James is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and recently completed a Fulbright Research fellowship in Beijing on green building evaluation systems in China. James is an avid writer and blogger, and and his research has been featured in news outlets such as China Dialogue and Engineering News Record. He currently manages the Declare, the Institute's building ingredients labeling program.