Louis Kahn’s Stainless Steel Glazing System: Performance Upgrades in the Richards Building

A comprehensive renovation project was the catalyst for evaluating the exterior envelope of the Richards Medical Lab, and developing a design approach that retained the iconic visual and material characteristics while radically improving the energy performance and functional qualities of the building. This presentation will review the history and development of Kahn’s glazing system, showing the comprehensive approach that was undertaken by an integrated design team to conserve the original steel framing while optimizing the overall performance of the exterior envelope and building systems. In particular we will discuss the process undertaken to select the right glass to replace the original polished plate units – and how to successfully glaze the new lites into the existing frames – that ultimately best balanced preservation, energy efficiency, economy and constructibility.

Aaron Davis AIA is a Senior Associate at Heintges Consulting Architects & Engineers, building envelope and curtain wall consultants. Since joining the firm in 2011, he has enjoyed working with architects and owners on projects requiring a high degree of precision in pursuit of aesthetic and technical goals. His work includes bespoke façade solutions for notable projects including the Glenstone Museum (Thomas Phifer + Partners), Oceanwide Center (Foster + Partners), Corals at Keppel Bay (Studio Daniel Libeskind), and Richards Medical Laboratory (Louis Kahn / EYP).

Aaron holds a Master’s degree in Architecture from Columbia University in New York and has presented at conferences nationwide including Façade Tectonics and the National Institute of Building Science. His published work includes "Architecture Beyond Criticism: Expert Judgement and Performance Evaluation", published by Routledge.

Building owners that maintain facilities must contend not only with the upfront costs of construction, but also with the long-term costs of maintenance and repairs. Often times, there are lessons to be learned about long-term building envelope performance from facilities that are held by the same owner for long periods of time. However, the lessons learned often are not readily available to designers, contractors, and managers when a new building is being designed and built.

The Portland Building Enclosure Council will host a panel discussion in which facility personnel, contractors, and architects provide insight into the long term impacts of early decisions and how they affect buildings as they age. The panel will examine the trade-offs made for various assemblies and products, cost benefits of repairs versus replacement, and information that every architect and contractor should know when embarking on the initial stages of design.

Our panel will include:

• Whitney Henion, Vancouver School District
• Kate Vance, Multnomah County
• Tom Wharton, Port of Portland
• Jake LaMana, Walsh Construction
• Matt Jacoby, BRIC Architecture

The materials and systems used in buildings have changed dramatically over time. Understanding how old buildings work from a building science perspective will lead to better maintenance and retrofit decisions. Sarah Gray and David Young will discuss how traditional materials and construction practices managed heat transfer, air flow, vapor diffusion and moisture absorption in old buildings.  We will also discuss how performance can be maintained or improved. Case study examples will illustrate challenges and solutions for old buildings.

Sarah Gray is Principal with RDH Building Science Inc. and has been based in Toronto for over 15 years. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania. Her work is focused on heritage building rehabilitation, existing building condition assessment and renewal, and building enclosure consulting for new construction. She serves as a peer reviewer for the Association for Preservation Technology Bulletin and has taught building science courses at the University of Toronto. Sarah was awarded a 2010 Craftsman Award from the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals for work at the Confederation Life Building in Toronto.

David Young is Principal with RDH Building Science Inc. Dave specializes in building enclosure consulting for both new and existing construction. His experience and expertise in historic building enclosures spans close to 30 years and includes work on the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa and the University of British Columbia Main Library.

One of Dave’s focus areas is to make historic buildings better by incorporating new enclosure technologies without changing the original aesthetics.  This includes implementing moisture control, thermal improvements, and air tightness strategies, while reinstating original materials. This approach was used on the 100-year-old Oregon College of Oriental Medicine building in Portland, where corroded steel lintels above the windows were removed. The steel lintels were cleaned and protected, then reinstalled to create a new rainscreen cavity behind the brick veneer over the windows. The 3-wythe mass masonry wall above the lintels remained intact.

Sheet metal is a unique roof system choice that continues to evolve into new systems and applications. Metal roofs are gaining market share in both commercial and residential markets. Building owners have a high performance and aesthetic appeal expectation for metal roofs. Along with this evolution come the problems associated with it. This seminar is intended to provide a review of the top ten problems for metal roof designers. This will include a description of the problem, why it may occur, ramifications and how to prevent it through proper design. The authors will draw from over 50 years of combined metal roofing experience.

Charlie Smith is widely recognized as the industry’s foremost authority on recover systems utilizing metal roofing. Charlie holds several patents in the recover field including both metal-over-metal and metal-over-shingle solutions. As an industry leader, Charlie recently co-wrote the new RCI metal roofing course with Brian Gardiner if a frequent presenter at RCI and other roofing industry events.

Charlie Smith founded Architectural Building Components in 1989, when he purchased the equipment of a small Houston, Texas-based metal roofing manufacturing business. Over the next 23 years, the company grew into an industry-leading metal roofing and wall system solution provider specializing in the use of metal to recover existing low-slope roofs. In 2012, Architectural Building Components became a part of McElroy Metal which enabled Charlie to focus on educational and product development efforts to help the roofing industry design creative solutions with metal.

5.00 HSW learning credits

Schedule

• 8:00 – 8:30 Sign In & Welcome
• 8:30 – 8:45 Introductions: ABAA
• 8:45 – 10:00 “By Others”: The Elusive Subcontractor Responsible for Transitions Andrew Dunlap 1.25 HSW
• 10:00 – 10:15 Break
• 10:15 – 11:30 Through Wall Flashings Compatibility Sustainability & Performance Craig Wetmore 1.25 HSW
• 11:30 – 12:15 Catered Lunch
• 12:15 – 1:30 Air Barrier Specifications & Quality Assurance Ryan Dalgleish 1.25 HSW
• 1:30 – 1:45 Break
• 1:45 – 3:00 Oh no! What did I miss? How to properly specify an air barrier system Roy Schauffele 1.25 HSW

Presentation Overview

“By Others” The Elusive Subcontractor Responsible for Transitions Andrew Dunlap

This course will take you through a multitude of details with a review of assembly environmental separators that will show common enclosure assembly discontinuities and provide an education on common system transition methods.

Through-Wall Flashing Compatibility Sustainability and Performance Craig Wetmore

Understanding the performance characteristics, the recycled/recyclable content, ability to survive installation, and life cycle costs of the different through-wall flashing materials.

ABAA Quality Assurance Program & Field Quality Control Ryan Dalgleish

The QAP ties the manufacturer, the contractor and the installer together to ensure that the products are installed properly. It is based on ISO 9000 and ISO 12576‐2 standards. The presentation defines exactly what quality assurance is, how it is different than quality control, the impact of poor quality on a building system and a review of the key components of the quality assurance program for air barriers.

Oh no! What did I miss? How to properly specify an air barrier system Roy Schauffele

Design and Construction documents are one of the first steps towards achieving an effective layer of airtightness to manage moisture and air movement. The importance of a proper specification cannot be understated and a well-articulated document will ensure that the owner is provided with materials, performance and quality. The presentation will review some of the consideration and language that should be reviewed prior to developing a specification and will outline code requirements, performance requirements, what can be done for quality and ensuring material selection meets the intent of design and for crucial coordination with other components of the enclosure.

Cost

This event is free to Portland BEC Members. For non-members the cost is $50, which includes membership.

Registration

The registration form is here Attendance is limited to 70. All membership information will be verified and non-members will be invoiced.

Multnomah County’s central courthouse was built between 1909 and 1914, when the county had only 250,000 residents and long before modern building code standards for the region’s risk of earthquakes were in place. The new Central Courthouse Project is a swiftly rising, 17-story-structure at Southwest First Avenue and Madison Street, and is slated for completion in the spring of 2020.

The beginning of the exterior envelope can be observed as the installation of the façade exterior window is ongoing. Leading up to the current stage of construction, the team engaged in numerous studies for cladding systems and curtain wall assemblies. During the design phase, 3D modeling was used not only to design and conceptualize the project but also to create prefabricated materials and choreograph different systems.

A free-standing mockup has been used extensively by the team to coordinate transition of the panels forming the moisture barrier with the fenestration systems and cladding.

The Architect, Exterior Envelope Consultant, and Building Envelope Commissioning Authority will present as a panel to offer insight into the design of the envelope and also methods used to verify installations in the field.

SRG Partnership
SRG Partnership, Inc., was founded in 1972 as the dream firm of three young and ambitious architects: Jon Schleuning, Dave Richen and Fred Gast. The three principals began their practice in the basement of the Portland Art Museum, adjacent to the outdoor sculpture court. Their first project was the John’s Landing Master Plan, establishing precedence for SRG’s planning expertise that continues to this day. Within several years, SRG added numerous K-12 public school projects to its portfolio. These projects served to establish a niche in the education market which has today grown to include more than 40 community colleges and public and private universities. In 2002 SRG teamed with Rick Zieve, Dennis Forsyth and Ralph Belton to start the Seattle office, which began with large-scale public projects such as Bellevue City Hall and the Washington State Capitol Building historic restoration. Today SRG is a regional practice with projects across the western United States and beyond.

Dave Young
Dave is a Senior Building Science Specialist and principle of RDH Building Science, working within its Portland office. He specializes in enclosure consulting for both new buildings and existing building investigation and rehabilitation projects. Dave has extensive practical experience with exterior wall, window, above-and below-grade waterproofing and roofing systems from conceptual design through the building enclosure commissioning process. Prior to his nearly 20 years practicing in this arena with RDH, Dave practiced for 10 years as a structural engineer in Ottawa, with the last 3 as manager of that firm’s Restoration, Investigation, and Retrofit Division.

Steve Vinci
Stevan Vinci joined Morrison Hershfield in 2002 and is a Building Science and Building Envelope Commissioning Specialist in the U.S. Building Consultation Group. He serves as the Building Envelope Commissioning Practice Lead for MH. Stevan has over 19 years of building science experience. His many years of experience completing forensic investigations have informed his recommendations for new construction projects.

In the last decade, carbon levels increased 20 parts per million (from 380 to 403), the population grew by one billion, global temperature increased by half a degree Celsius, and 25 percent more people moved into our cities.

The world is rapidly changing and will be a very different place by 2030. In this talk, we’ll explore dozens of disparate trends in technology, sustainability and the construction industry and connect the dots to get a glimpse into how we can save the world AND save our businesses at the same time. You’ll learn how to stack emerging trends to forecast opportunities in the green building space.

Climate change is redefining the design parameters and project demands for building design. Uncertainty in the future will require solutions that measure and manage energy, water and health outcomes in innovative ways.

During this energetic and entertaining session, we’ll train and engage attendees in a collaborative process to better address systemic barriers to healthy, high-performing, sustainable, resilient buildings. Together, we’ll acknowledge the challenges and complexities facing project teams pursuing net zero / zero carbon projects and how to identify the risks amplified over and above a conventional development.

Hear from an award winning architect in a lively discussion that will change how you look at the future, regardless of how bleak it may be!

Eric Corey Freed is an award-winning architect, author, and global speaker. As Sustainability Disruptor for Morrison Hershfield, he identifies solutions to problems most teams didn't know were holding them back. He was Founding Principal of organicARCHITECT, a visionary design leader in biophilic and regenerative design.

His past roles include Vice President of the International Living Future Institute and Chief Community Officer of EcoDistricts, both nonprofits pushing innovative new paradigms for deep green buildings and communities.

Eric is the author of 11 books, including "Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies.” In 2012, he was named one of the 25 "Best Green Architecture Firms" in the US, and one of the "Top 10 Most Influential Green Architects." In 2017, he was named one of Build's American Architecture Top 25. He holds a prestigious LEED Fellow award from the US Green Building Council.

This lecture will focus on the benefits of building in a dry, controlled environment and how this helps to build better buildings. Focusing on the science of construction, specifically the thermodynamic relationship of a building from inside to outside. Speaking on product integration and the importance of understanding how all the different WRBs, tapes, and sealants work together as well as the importance of mechanical systems and building pressures.

Nathan started working in the construction industry in 1991 at the age of 16. He started Nathan D. Young Construction, Inc. in 1998 and focused on residential remodels and custom homes. In 2008 Mr. Young started MODS PDX INC with a focus on sustainable modular buildings with an emphasis on the science behind construction. For the last 15 years they have focused on building envelope failures and how to prevent them through proper construction techniques and product integration. They work closely with manufacturers to assure that their buildings are built with products that will work together to assure that the thermodynamics of the building are in balance.