Past Meetings

In a world where energy-efficiency and sustainable solutions are increasingly prioritized in building projects, it is important for architects, contractors and all building professionals to make informed decisions when selecting components of the building envelope. In an effort to assist building owners and design professionals in the selection of fenestration products, the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) has designed a rating system in which all products are evaluated under equal terms, enabling a fair comparison of products from different manufacturers. While this is a useful system, the procedure followed and the metrics used in NFRC product ratings are not necessarily common knowledge. Neither are the factors that can influence a product’s rating. This presentation will explain the basic metrics of thermal performance, identify the factors that affect the performance of fenestration products and shed some light on the NFRC rating process. Various parameters that are often not considered will be pointed out, and their effect on a product’s thermal performance will be shown through a series of examples. The ultimate goal of this presentation is to leave building professionals with a better understanding of NFRC product ratings and to provide useful information for selecting the “right” fenestration product.

Monica Maragos is an NFRC Certified Simulator with a strong background in architecture and building performance modeling. Originally trained as an architect in Greece, Monica found her true passion in the field of energy-efficient building design and with that came her introduction to building performance modeling. She went on to pursue this field in Sweden, where she received her Masters degree in Energy-Efficient Building Design and began to work in the energy and daylight research department of an international window manufacturer. Her personal interests brought her to Portland in 2015, when she joined the Facade Group as a Building Enclosure Consultant with a specialty in energy and hygrothermal performance of building enclosures.

Grant Park High School in Portland, Oregon is a multi building campus featuring buildings and additions built over a period of time from 1923-1966. Composed largely of concrete frame structure with brick infill, the cladding has exhibited an accelerated degree of masonry spalling at a number of the buildings on various different elevations. This presentation examines the common causes of masonry spalling, details the specific investigation and testing which was conducted on the existing masonry to understand the cause of the failure, and remedial work and maintenance to arrest the current spalling and avoid future issues in the brick cladding.

Peter Meijer AIA, NCARB is the founder and principal of Peter Meijer Architect. Mr. Meijer leads the firm with over 30 years of professional experience. Peter’s career has focused largely on building envelope science and historic preservation, specifically historic renovations and condition assessments of existing and historic buildings. He has become a well-regarded expert on the diverse issues affecting existing and historic buildings both regionally and nationally.

Subgrade waterproofing presents unique challenges in that corrections can be difficult post installation. This panel discussion will examine common problems and what steps can be taken to avoid them. The panel will examine remediation techniques and strategies for mitigating problems in existing buildings and remodels.

The panel will include perspectives from Designers, Installers, and Manufacturer Representatives, as we review questions and project examples.

Ken is a Building Enclosure Consultant and Principal with over 18 years of experience. He has a diverse background—encompassing both architecture and structural engineering. His project experience is equally diverse—ranging from commercial towers to residential towers, public buildings to institutional buildings. Ken is The Facade Group’s in-house roofing, waterproofing and air barrier expert and head of the Hygrothermal Analysis team. He is responsible for project coordination, analysis, detailing, production and construction services and existing buildings performance reporting. Ken’s portfolio includes historic preservation projects, exterior restoration, cladding systems, curtain walls, roofing, air barriers, below-grade and horizontal waterproofing systems, and expert witness testimony.

Drained- and Rain-Screen cladding design has become commonplace over the last number of years, at least in many of our Northern-US practice areas. As a result, the industry has shifted much of its research and design effort to the further advancement of both the structural attachment methods for cladding and the improvement of the thermal properties of the attachment. The market today is filled with a variety of clip systems, thermally efficient girts, and other solutions for achieving both structural and thermal load resistance requirements. This presentation will review some of the more commonly observed cladding attachment systems in the marketplace, review some of the nuances of each, help us to understand the associated structural and thermal expectations, and finally present a method of assessing the combined structural and thermal capabilities from a design-tool perspective.

Ariel’s experience spans geographically across North America and includes buildings of all types: new to old, residential to high-rise. He has broad experience with a wide range of building enclosure systems, and his clients span the range including architects, owners, developers, contractors, property managers, lawyers, and insurers. Ariel is a Portland native and has practiced in Oregon for over a decade. Prior to his return home, Ariel spent several years practicing in Boston and Los Angeles. Ariel is also a Managing Principal of RDH, and oversees all aspects of operation in its Oregon and Northern California offices.

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Air tightness testing is becoming more prominent in building codes across the country with an ever increasing focus on energy conservation and indoor air quality control. This presentation focuses on how to select and perform building airtightness tests. During design, properly specifying an air tightness test requires the design team to be able to identify the air, thermal and vapor control layers throughout the building to determine the building enclosure and understand the various air tightness tests available. In construction, the design and construction teams require an understanding of what needs to be included in the tests to avoid pitfalls, how to set up buildings for qualitative and quantitative testing, and how to interpret the results if the team is testing to a standard, pre/post retrofit comparisons, or comparing the results to other buildings.

Terry is a building scientist and educator. He is on the editorial boards of Environmental Building News and Heating Piping and Air Conditioning Magazine. He currently chairs the U.S.A.C.E committee developing new air leakage protocols. Past work includes consulting on a research project to restore three homes in the Seventh Ward of New Orleans after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, teaching healthy housing courses for the National Center for Healthy Housing and working on a research project to study unplanned airflows in commercial buildings in New York State. He is a member of ASHRAE 62.2 Ventilation and Air Quality Committee and served as consultant to the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Dampness and Health in Buildings. He holds a Bachelors degree in Physics and a Masters degree in Environmental Studies.

Fluid applied membranes, whether as a flashing or as a weather resistive barrier, are becoming much more common in the marketplace. This presentation will discuss the history and development of fluid applied membranes and will give attendees an understanding of the various different chemistry types available in the market; why they were developed and the important performance characteristics, including the advantages and disadvantages of each different chemistry type. Finally, attendees will understand how to choose the appropriate material for different applications and how to design with each material.

After 34 years at a major Silicone Sealant company, Dave Kimball has retired and started anew with PROSOCO, Inc., as a Technical Specialist in the Building Envelope Group, covering the North Atlantic Region from his office in Brooklyn, NY.

While Dave spent years living in many different parts of the country, primarily in a Technical Service role, working on Weatherseal, Structural Glazing, and exterior coatings applications, the unique challenge that rough opening preparation and Air and Vapor Barriers brings is inspiring.

As the vegetated roofing industry continues to grow and mature, the Ecoroof Symposium will showcase the most up-to- date research on the economic and environmental impacts that green roofs provide to buildings and cities. We are honored to host London’s own Dusty Gedge as our keynote speaker, as well as a research medley on topics such as enhanced real estate value, energy impacts, and biodiversity. Panels of experts and breakout sessions offer a wealth of experience on best practices to avoid concerns, and to extend the service life of the roof membrane and vegetation. Green roof tours can provide insight into a variety of systems and approaches.

In this course the presenter will discuss current research and understanding of moisture related problems within sloped roof attics in the Pacific Northwest. Case studies will be presented to illustrate the possible wetting sources in wood-frame construction along with practical solutions for mitigating the potential for problems in new construction.

Lorne Ricketts is a building science engineer specializing in research and investigation work. His experience consists of a wide range of projects including: building enclosure condition assessments, forensic investigations, building monitoring, field review, building modeling, and laboratory and field testing services.

Lorne’s Master’s research at the University of Waterloo focused on airflow in high-rise multi-unit residential buildings and included extensive testing and monitoring of a case study building. As a result, his work has developed the industry’s understanding of airflow in and around buildings and how it affects both energy consumption and indoor air quality.

Lorne’s practical experience combined with his theoretical training and proficiency with state-of-the-art thermal and hygrothermal (heat, air, and moisture) software modeling tools has enabled him to evaluate a wide variety of enclosure systems. This analytical work is used as the basis for recommendations regarding air barriers, vapor barriers, insulation levels, thermal bridging, and window selection.

1 LU/HSW