Chris Benedict, using examples of her own work, will talk about the evolution of the system approach to building design and the profound position that the building enclosure holds as a part of that system. She will lay out her perspective on building enclosure fundamentals, including the management of air, water, vapor, light and heat and discuss how mechanical systems and materials can be refined, reduced or eliminated, while building performance is enhanced, when the relationships within the system are clearly understood. Most of her discussion will be about innovations in the many apartment buildings she has designed and seen through construction, both retrofits and new construction. Some unusual aspects of her practice include: Inventing new construction techniques and building systems Changing code Stepping out of the traditional role of “Architect” and into Engineering and “means and methods” She will talk about the importance of thorough construction documents, active construction monitoring and crunching energy bills. Chris will end her talk with a presentation of her newest building, a 24 unit apartment building about to start construction that is planned to meet the strict German Passive House Standard.

Chris Benedict is an Architect, a Graduate of Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, and a professor of Architecture at Pratt Institute. Her office in New York City specializes in safe healthy durable energy efficient buildings built for the same price as typical construction. She is Chair of BEC New York.

An unbiased discussion and presentation of scenarios and criteria that are encountered when designing and installing roofing systems. The primary goal of this program is to introduce a way of thinking that will enable designers to select the proper system for the application and to become familiar with some of the more common roof system types used in the Northwest. This seminar is provided by Professional Roof Consultants, Inc. (PRC); a roofing, waterproofing and building envelope consulting firm located in Portland, Oregon.

The use of glass and fenestration as part of the building enclosure material/system has become a significant consideration and component in today’s building design. Glass in a building enclosure is used as the medium that breaks down the visual/psychological barrier between the interior and exterior of a building. Glass introduces natural daylight into a space and provides views of the outside while it simultaneously keeps the forces of nature to the exterior.

However, glass and fenestration technology has also rapidly evolved in recent years - predominantly to address energy conservation concerns. These advancements and product offerings range in aesthetics, performance and application. This meeting will explore and discuss current glass and glazing system technology and how the wide range of product availability can be more optimally incorporated into our projects with desired aesthetic and performance results.

Stanley Yee is a partner and building enclosure consultant for The Facade Group, a building enclosure consultancy based in Portland, OR. The Facade Group provides building enclosure design/construction expertise and support to building owners/developers and the architectural/engineering/contracting community.

The University of California San Diego is has commissioned the design of a new 177,000 square foot Health Science Research Laboratory on its main campus in La Jolla, CA. Based the on the experience and the mission of the institution, one initial goal for the project was to create as nearly as possible a daylight-autonomous laboratory building. The goal was subsequently refined to include the design and optimization of a façade system that yielded the maximum daylight benefit with minimal cooling penalty. John Breshears will present the design, simulation, and analysis findings relative to building envelope as well as a site-specific dynamic solar shading and glare control system. John will also give a brief description of the concept for an enthalpy recovery ventilated façade system. This project was recently awarded a research grant under the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program for development by a team including Architectural Applications LLC, Membrane Technology Research Inc., and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The October meeting will continue the theme of Building Science Basics with a look at below grade waterproofing systems, strategies, and details.

Austin Sloat, AIA is a board member of the Portland BEC and is a principal at Neumann Sloat Architects LLP, a firm specializing in building envelope consulting and remedial design.

For the opening presentation of the 2010-2011 Portland BEC season, we thought it appropriate to begin with some building science basics. Mr. Ariel Levy, P.E., of RDH Building Sciences, Inc., will take a somewhat off-directional and (possibly) entertaining twist to this topic. He will present some different perspectives on the classical heat, air, and moisture control functions, including some side commentary on current building code and general industry practice that may not be all that consistent with general building science principles.

In the U.S., buildings account for roughly 40 percent of all annual energy consumed and 40 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. So as members of the building design industry, we have a responsibility to design as efficient a building as possible. In the Northwest climate, the building envelope plays a major role in determining the amount of energy the building uses. This seminar will discuss how the envelope factors in to the building’s energy use. Topics include glazing percentage, improved envelopes, balance point temperature and the latest trends that we are tracking in envelope materials.

Ruwan Jayaweera, PE, LEED AP Associate/Mechanical Engineer

Ruwan is a mechanical engineer with more than 12 years of experience in design and modeling of sustainable buildings. As a PAE Associate he leads teams in design and commissioning while also spearheading the firm’s work with Engineers Without Borders. He has provided expertise for 12 LEED projects including a new administrative and interpretive building in Olympia, Washington that is on track for LEED Platinum. A well-travelled fellow, Ruwan was born in Sri Lanka, earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Maryland and in 2005 moved to the Pacific Northwest. He has two children, is a backpacker and runner and occasionally plays the violin.

This Month’s Meeting: “Measurement of Green Roof Performance”

Green roofs are basically low maintenance gardens grown on the flat roofs of commercial and institutional buildings, whereby the building’s conventional roof is covered with a waterproof layer, a drainage layer, soil and plantings of grasses, shrubs or flowers. Many advantages are offered by eco-roofs, including storm water control and reduction of roof top heat flux. Field monitoring studies on three green roofs located in Portland, OR have shown savings in both areas. To better identify ways to optimize green roof design, laboratory tests have been preformed. Lab results show that plants using more water in summer can reduce building energy requirements.

Graig Spolek is a Professor of the Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department at Portland State University. His educational background includes BS and MS degrees from the University of Washington and a PhD from Washington State University, all in mechanical engineering. At PSU, Spolek teaches courses in thermodynamics, heat transfer, instrumentation, thermal systems design and design of experiments. His research areas include fundamental heat and mass transfer, industrial energy utilization and measurement green roof performance.

The call for higher energy performance buildings is being heard loud and clear. A new state wide code is being released this summer with changes that affect envelope construction and design by changing critical energy performance criteria. In preparation for the July 1 adoption of the 2010 Oregon Energy Efficiency Specialty Code (OEESC), based on the IECC, Portland BEC will host a presentation that highlights what changes have and haven’t taken place in this code cycle. Alan Seymour from the Oregon Department of Energy will present the new energy code requirements as they apply to the building envelope.

Alan Seymour has worked in the energy conservation related field for 29 years. He is currently is an Energy Policy Analyst for the Oregon Department of Energy. Alan managed residential and commercial energy conservation programs as well as provided code and energy-related services to the general public. In the past, he has provided non-residential energy code Circuit Rider services for the Oregon Building Officials Association. Alan has also assisted design professionals with code compliance on behalf of local building jurisdictions. He has reviewed well over three million square feet of commercial buildings for energy code compliance and provided clarifications to code and regulation questions.

This presentation has been requested and scheduled for the AIA National Convention June 11, 2010. As an early viewing of the same presentation, we will briefly review the latest version of The Living Building Challenge 2.0, while discussing envelope opportunities within this progressive framework. The Living Building Challenge is a measure of sustainability far more progressive than LEED Platinum or Triple Net Zero alone. This system does not contain points, rather 20 simple but profound imperatives that is performance based, not prescriptive.

The presentation focuses on a half dozen imperatives, showing what the envelope opportunities are and how they have been implemented on several projects. Those wanting to learn more about skin sustainability and the Living Building Challenge should attend this presentation. Since creating a more sustainable skin design is an imperative charge for the new decade, it is relevant and imperative to discuss this topic.

Sean Scott is a licensed architect with 2 professional architecture degrees currently working at SERA Architects in Portland, Oregon. Sean has 15 years of experience, 11 years of which working on LEED buildings and 2 years working and researching with The Living Building Challenge. Sean is actively involved with 5 committees within the BEC and COTE. Sean’s career focus is with sustainable envelopes as he actively pursues this research through a book authorship called, “ENVELOPE TOOLS”.