Mike Steffen of Walsh Construction Co. will discuss the thermal barrier as it applies to enclosure design and construction. Insulation approaches and materials will be reviewed and the problem of thermal bridging will be discussed. Several case studies will be presented to illustrate the application of thermal barrier design principles on recent projects.

This month, the Portland BEC continues our series of presentations regarding High Performance Buildings with a discussion of the inter-relationship of the building envelope and mechanical systems. Architects see the envelope as part of the Architecture, while mechanical engineers see the envelope as part of the mechanical system. They are both right.

This presentation takes a look at the brief history of commissioning to help the BEC determine what course of action it could take to prepare its membership for achieving professional status as commissioners of the building enclosure. NIBS has charted a course in developing: NIBS Guideline 3-2006 Exterior Enclosure Technical Requirements for the Commissioning Process that breaks new ground in a field driven by traditional commissioning methods.

Mike Steffen of Walsh Construction Co. will present a number of case studies to illustrate the application of enclosure design principles on several recent projects. This presentation will build on the discussion of thermal barriers and other critical barriers covered at the November 2008 meeting. Construction types represented will include steel frame, concrete frame and wood frame buildings.

This month’s topic will be the use of infrared thermal imaging on existing buildings to diagnose thermal and air barrier discontinuity and the development of procedures to use this technology as a commissioning tool for new buildings. Mike Williams with White Glove Building Maintenance will discuss how the technology works, its possibilities and limitations and what information it provides to those in the design and construction industry to support the goal of high performance envelopes.

This month’s BEC meeting will feature a construction site tour of the Mercy Corps Headquarters in downtown Portland. The tour will focus on the design and construction issues associated with the building enclosure systems for this project that is pursuing LEED Platinum certification.

Uncontrolled moisture accumulation in building envelopes leads to mold infestation and structural degradation in buildings. A 2004 survey conducted by the City of Seattle documented 52 recent moisture-related building failures, costing $98 million (Aoki-Kramer, Karagiozis). This same study speculates that as much as 20% of the multi-family housing stock built in Seattle since 1984 could be affected.

The essential role of the building envelope—providing shelter, form, and image—can be expanded to significantly improve building performance, including major reductions in energy use. Mark Perepelitza, a ZGF architect, will be presenting his research on effective applications of high-performance integrated facades for the Northwest.

As the Director of the Architectural Group of Orfield Laboratories, Wes Chapman is responsible for the development of applications of the firm's Certified Building Performance Standards and Certified Building Performance Measures. Orfield Laboratories is the nation's only multi-disciplinary architectural consulting lab.

The BEC will not have a meeting for the month of October. We will reconvene November 12th. Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience.