July 2020 Monthly Meeting

Review the building drift from wind and seismic loads. Discuss the new various return intervals for wind storms, and how that affects the various components of the building facade. Review new code provisions for solar, pavers, ballast, etc. Review char formation in mass timber, and how that may affect the connection of facade elements to the mass timber frame.

August 2020 Monthly Meeting

Seismic base isolation is a technology that is used to enhance the seismic performance of buildings and renovate existing buildings. The use of base isolation will be discussed as well as its benefits to new and historic structures. As a case study, the historic Oregon Supreme Court renovation will be discussed and it's use of base isolation to improve the seismic performance and save this historic structure from significant damage.

September 2020 Monthly Meeting

The Portland Building is an internationally recognized work of Postmodern architecture by master architect Michael Graves. For decades, the building suffered from multiple performance issues leading the City of Portland to initiate a project in 2016 that would comprehensively address existing building performance issues and modernize the building. The project included the addition of a new skin over the existing exterior, creating a weather-tight enclosure with improved thermal comfort and increased daylighting.

November 2020 Monthly Meeting

This program provides an introduction to terra cotta as an architectural cladding material, its manufacturing, overview of its performance, and methods of installation & repair. Terra cotta, as an architectural material in the United States, was used profusely from the late nineteen century until the 1950's as a durable and decorative material and continues to be chosen as a unique solution for creative cladding solutions.

December 2020 Monthly Meeting

Properly designing, installing, and maintaining sealant joints will prolong the life of any structure. When exterior sealants fail, the integrity of the entire building is at risk. Yet, when selecting and specifying joint sealants for their projects, architects and specifiers are faced with a myriad of options. This program will aid design professionals in making sense of the many considerations.

BESTfest Conference

Since the beginning of the pandemic, building enclosures have received closer scrutiny, with everyone from consumers to building professionals to local and federal government, wanting to know more about their technologies and performance.

The BESTfest seminar brings together industry leaders and experts to discuss how the Building Enclosure Science & Technology field has changed since COVID-19 shook the world.

May 2021 Monthly Meeting

An introduction to the LBNL software THERM will be presented. Six wall assemblies commonly used from 2000-2020 are analyzed and described. Each assembly has performance positives and negatives and these can be shown by using the software.

We will discuss total R value of wall assemblies and dew point locations. There will be discussion of how to avoid mold and condensation in walls by proper analysis. Keeping the building warm and dry prevents mold, saves energy, and keeps occupants safe and healthy.

April 2021 Monthly Meeting

Drawing on his experience working on the rehabilitation of major institutional buildings and focusing on early-to-mid 20th century masonry construction, the speaker will discuss technical approaches to masonry whole-façade replacement while keeping a building fully operational. The presentation will cover structural engineering, building enclosure design, energy efficiency improvement, constructability, logistical, and economic aspects of overcladding projects. In particular attendees/readers will learn about:

March 2021 Monthly Meeting

One of the many challenges of innovation in building enclosure design is the risk of using technologies and materials that have limited track records. Especially when a premium is paid to attain expected performance benefits and energy savings, failure can be both counter-productive and costly. However, using only time-tested strategies and materials may not be desirable in an environment of rapidly evolving technology and accelerated construction schedules.