Past Meetings

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.

Most punched window selections are based on what the firm or team had on the last project, looks, and price. This course offers performance based selection criteria to add to the selection tools.

Sean is an Architect with Ankrom Moisan Architects that focusses on enclosures within his career. He is presently writing a book entitled "Enclosure Tools" that is created by the industry for the industry. His past speaking engagements have included AIA National, Living Future, and many local venues. Teaching High Performance Enclosures at the University of Oregon Portland School of Architecture feeds into the professional practice and vice-versa.

Today’s design and construction environment is expanding at an increasing rate with product offerings and new technologies leading the push that result in more complicated buildings. The selection and installation of air barrier systems is no stranger to this phenomenon. The technology of sheet applied and fluid applied air barrier systems have progressed at a rapid pace over the last 20 years with so many different product offerings, chemical compositions and installation methods that the choices can seem daunting.

This presentation will involve a panel discussion with members of the panel representing the manufacturing, installation and specification sides of the process. The discussion intends to speak to current state of air barrier technology, the challenges of each type, what’s important from the manufacturing side, design side and applicator side, and what we see for the future. The panel will consist of Ariel Levy of RDH Building Sciences, Nathan Weibel of Henry Company, and John O’Brien of Western Partitions.

Recent years have seen an increased trend towards rainscreen cladding system. These systems typically consist of an exterior cladding, a drainage cavity and a back-up weather resistive barrier. Traditionally in rainscreen cladding designs, the joints in the exterior cladding are sealed to minimize the potential for water intrusion into the drainage cavity with the exceptions of weeps and pressure equalization vents which are generally sheltered from water ingress.

In the open joint rainscreen systems, the joints between the cladding elements are intentionally left open.

This presentation will discuss the implications of open joints for the performance of rainscreen systems. Various approaches to the design of open joint raDeinscreen cladding systems will be reviewed. Two construction case studies demonstrating successful and unsuccessful implementation of the open joint rainscreen concept in the field will be presented.

Claude works as a Building Envelope Specialist in the Building and Facilities Division of Morrison Hershfield in Portland. He completed post-graduate architectural studies focusing on building technology. He developed an expertise in the design, detailing and construction oversight of building envelope assemblies and has been involved with all aspects of building envelope services.

Mark Rose is Technical Lead for Building and Facilities Division of Morrison Hershfield in Portland. He is a building technologist specialized in building envelope assessment, design, rehabilitation and field review. Before coming to MH, Mark was employed as a contractor and oversaw the rehabilitation of a variety of distressed buildings resulting from water intrusion issues. He also has expertise on the investigation, assessment and conservation of historical buildings.

Beginning with an overview of sustainably managed forests, life cycle analysis, and the carbon cycle of wood, this presentation introduces the current thinking on architectural and structural use of Cross Laminated Timber in buildings with a focus on high rise projects. Included will be a short history of CLT which began in Europe and a discussion of building enclosure strategies.

Ethan Martin, PE is Senior Technical Director, Pacific Northwest US for WoodWorks. He is based out of Seattle, WA. Ethan received a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University. As the previous owner of a structural engineering firm in Asheville, NC, Ethan has worked on projects that range from small renovations and additions to a 470,000 square-foot, $125 million central school for the Cherokee Nation.

In his role with WoodWorks Ethan serves as a wood products industry spokesperson and educator dedicated to growing the knowledge and use of structural wood products in non-residential construction through a variety of forums and seminars reaching over 1,000 design professionals annually. He currently serves on both the Midrise Construction and Schools initiative WoodWorks teams, and his primary role as Senior Technical Director, directly consulting with design professionals to educate and successfully implement wood into their designs.