With increasing demand for glazing systems to enhance a building's envelope and appearance, more emphasis is being placed on glass to act as a medium for aesthetic expression, re-establishing the visual connection between the indoor and outdoor environment, act as a thermal barrier, act as a solar barrier and be readily available on the open market. In many instances these demands can be met with a variety of glass coatings. How do we start to identify and select these coatings and glass products?

John Reynolds will be joining us from the University of Oregon to discuss passive cooling and heating. Oregon's climate offers architects the opportunities of both passive solar heating and passive cooling. Passive and energy-conserving buildings seek to manage the available thermal energy by lowering peaks and filling valleys in order to maintain comfortable conditions for the occupants. Thermal mass and glass are two of the more powerful tools designers can use to control these conditions.

Design criterion is a term that is often used when establishing how a new building should be designed and constructed based upon the use and function of the building. A similar process is practiced when considering individual components and assemblies that cover a building, including roof systems. This presentation is intended to offer information that should be considered vital when determining the selection of a roof system for new construction, as well as replacement of roof systems on existing buildings.

Dan Braun - Vice President, Regional Operations, Architectural Testing will be presenting information regarding Curtain Wall and facade Performance Mock-Up Testing and Field Testing. The presentation will discuss reasons for testing and cover specific methodology and information to help you better understand testing as a quality control tool.

The May program will feature a panel discussion of the current City of Portland's requirements for veneer on metal studs. This typical construction of metal studs and sheathing, clad with metal panels or brick veneer, must document how the system will accommodate the buildings seismic movement without having material falling off the building. This seemingly simple requirement has significant architectural implications.

High energy costs are placing increased emphasis on energy conservation within the built-environment; hence there is an increasing need for high performing building assemblies. The building envelope, which separates the indoor controlled environment from the exterior natural environment, must adapt to fulfill these requirements. Are the available codes and standards adequate? This month's presentation will provide an overview of current codes and standards and will discuss the updates and changes that are being applied to design and construction practices.

High energy costs are placing increased emphasis on energy conservation within the built-environment driving the need for high performing building assemblies. Air barrier systems are critical to fulfilling these requirements and yet critical transitions often compromise their performance. This month's presentation will build on last month's discussion on air barriers and explore the importance of properly interfacing the air barrier at key building transitions as well as other building conditions where the continuity of the air barrier system may not be self evident.

Mike Steffen of Walsh Construction Co. will discuss the thermal barrier as it applies to enclosure design and construction. Insulation approaches and materials will be reviewed and the problem of thermal bridging will be discussed. Several case studies will be presented to illustrate the application of thermal barrier design principles on recent projects.

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.

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.