Past Meetings

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.

OL specializes in acoustics, lighting, daylighting, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, occupancy & design research and human factors. Our consulting is based on occupancy quality as the primary objective in architecture, with sustainability and energy based design being secondary. OL was contacted by BEC due to an interest by BEC in OL's performance based occupancy quality consulting.

There will be a general introduction to Orfield Labs and our philosophical premise as well as an explanation of testing capacities that have contributed to our unique approach to establishing “performance” based building standards that are measurable and certifiable. Wes will also cover several case studies illustrating the effects of the standards on building design. These case studies will highlight the correlation between how building performance standards focus on satisfaction of users and in doing so address energy and sustainability concerns beyond the realm of LEED and other similar programs. The interest we share with BEC is the relationship between the integrity of an exterior envelope and the integrity of occupancy comfort within the space.

Wes will also talk about the Architectural Research Consortium, our new architectural research group, which will eventually include about 100 architectural firms across the U.S. and Canada.

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. Supported in part by a Van Evera Bailey Fellowship, the research has included five weeks of travel in Northern Europe to tour buildings and interview key team members, as well as collaborations with Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, the Center for the Built Environment at UC Berkeley, BetterBricks, and the University of Oregon Energy Studies in Buildings Lab.

As shown by Northern European examples, extremely high-performing buildings can be aesthetically compelling with pleasant and comfortable interior environments. Rather than a static enclosure, the building skin has the potential to capture, filter, and integrate natural ventilation, daylight, manage solar heat, and provide visual and physical connections between inside and out.

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 Natural Exposure Test (NET) facility, located in Puyallup WA has been collecting real-time hygrothermal performance data for nearly five years on both traditional and innovative full-size wall systems. Dr. Tichy will be presenting research results from the NET facility.

Dr. Tichy joined the Wood Materials and Engineering Laboratory at Washington State University in 1992. His primary research areas involve development of wood-based composites and building construction systems. Prior to joining WSU, Dr. Tichy was the Manager of Engineering R&D for the Western Wood Products Association (WWPA), Portland Oregon and Senior Engineer of Engineered Systems and Products for Weyerhaeuser Company, Federal Way Washington. For WWPA, Dr. Tichy provided consulting and technical direction for the engineering use of wood products. While with Weyerhaeuser Company, Tichy managed product and market development efforts resulting in several new engineered strand products businesses.

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.

Tour leaders will include Bhavna Kumar and Mike Steffen of Walsh Construction Co./OR and Charles Dorn of THA Architecture. The meeting will commence in Room 152 of the White Stag Building at 3:30pm, where a brief overview of the project design and detailing will be provided. Participants will then adjourn to the building site for a one hour tour. The building site is one block south of the White Stag Building. Please note: participants should wear long pants and closed-toe shoes (work boots preferably). Hard hats will not be required for this tour.

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. Mike will be using images from buildings in the Portland metro area as a way of illustrating these particular issues.

Mike Williams with WGBM (White Glove Building Maintenance) owns a high-rise exterior building maintenance company that focuses on building envelopes. Specifically, that focus includes leak investigations, waterproofing, sealant and elastomeric coatings applications and window cleaning services. Mike has over 30 years experience in the construction industry, with 20 years experience working on building envelopes. A principal part of his business includes assisting architects and engineers on facade/envelope investigations. After the earthquake in Olympia at the Capitol, he provided rope rescue, rope access and fall protection for three months for the state of Washington while the damage was assessed and repairs were made. His recent emphasis on thermal imaging as a diagnostic tool is a natural progression in using leading edge technology for investigating problems on building envelopes.

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.

Mike Steffen, AIA, CSI is Vice President and General Manager of Walsh Construction Co./OR. Walsh is a Pacific Northwest general contractor specializing in all types of multi-unit housing, renovation, educational facilities, and resorts - with a commitment to being a leader in the construction of energy-efficient, healthy and durable buildings. Prior to joining Walsh in 1999, Mike spent 13 years working in the fields of architectural and urban design. His experience on both sides of the construction fence provide him with a useful and unique perspective on both design and construction issues. Mike is also an adjunct faculty member with the University of Oregon’s Department of Architecture in Portland where he teaches building enclosure theory and practice.

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. In this era of Integrated Design, placing a premium on public/private partnerships and Teams with a common goal makes sense as we move toward meeting the 2030 challenge and addressing climate change. The train has left the station but who is out there laying the track? ALL ABOARD!

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.

Conrad Brown, Senior Associate at PAE Engineers will be presenting this month and will be discussing the relationship between the building envelope and the mechanical systems. Mr. Brown will be looking specifically at issues such as the impact of air-tightness on mechanical system design, how air leakage affects whole building energy performance and how to ensure indoor air quality in air-tight buildings. Specific strategies for providing make-up air within multi-unit residential buildings and the relative cost of such options will be discussed along with the impact compartmentalization has on mechanical system effectiveness and efficiency.