On April 18th, our President/CEO Bob Bitterli and Business Manager Leila Bitterli traveled to Reston, VA to meet Monica Rokicki of Better Building Works at the Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA) 2017 Conference.
Monica Rokicki learns about digital building monitoring systems by SMT
ABAA 2017 speakers included:
- Vince Cammallari on Roof-Wall Interfaces and Detailing
- Martina Driscoll & Andrea DelGiudice on Building Enclosure Commissioning
- Ryan & Laverne Dalgleish on ABAA services & future
- And keynote speaker Dr. Joseph Lstiburek on Building Science & Airflow
Here are a few of the most exciting things we learned from our trip to the conference.
Insight On Roof-to-Wall Interfaces
Vincent Cammallari explained in simple English and with thorough graphics how roof-to-wall interfaces should be considered in building design. Poor roof-to-wall interfacing can cause a multitude of problems relating to moisture and air circulation, efflorescence, ice accumulation, and more.
But all those problems can be remedied with a little forethought, while still preserving the architectural aesthetics of the design. Solutions vary on a case-by-case basis, and are dependent on the type of interface and its details.
For example, soffits sometimes need to be cut off from heating to create a cold cavity that dries itself with natural airflow/ventilation. Ventilated attics are another option. And curtain walls may be used to separate glass parapets.
Ultimately, we left with a wealth of information regarding roof-to-wall interfaces that we can immediately put to use.
New Look at the BECx Lifecycle
Martina Driscoll, PE and Andrea DelGiudice, PE from Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates spoke on the BECx process. “Building Enclosure Commissioning is a holistic process that endeavors to verify that the exterior enclosure meets owner expectations,” they said. BECx standards are applied at each stage – Predesign, Design, Construction, and Post-Occupancy – and are all about combining superior design with construction best practices.
From a high level view, the ideal BECx process establishes appropriate and quantifiable metrics for performance, testing, and verification that demand accountability at every phase. Additionally, Owner Performance Requirements (OPR) should be established with regard to:
- Energy
- Environment
- Safety, Security
- Durability
- Maintenance
“If a quantifiable measure is provided in the contract, then testing must occur to verify the metric,” they explained.
BECx provides third-party review of OPR development, as well as mockup and performance testing. Cost of BECx overview tends to run between .1% (when there are higher-value contents relative to enclosure costs) and 1% (when contents are lower relative value).
All in all, we were grateful to hear Martina and Andrea’s experience, and we’re excited to implement what we learned moving forward.
The Perfect Wall Configuration?
Keynote speaker Dr. Joseph Lstiburek (pronounced “STREE-beck”) started his career as a mechanical engineer, but eventually took the leap to become an Indoor Air Quality expert. With the help of some senior mentors, he went on to advise the US government on contaminants caused by improper airflow patterns, and eventually the security issues accompanying them. Today, he’s a leading building scientist.
The first half of Dr. Lstiburek’s talk dealt with how simple the “perfect wall configuration” can really be.
Despite all that can and will go wrong with building envelope configurations, Dr. Lstiburek explained that the principles at play are actually quite simple. And by mastering these principles, he explained, the “perfect wall configuration” may not be as difficult to attain as some may believe, even throughout a diverse range of building types and climate zones.
Figure 1: Complete building enclosure configuration. Is it really that simple?
Figure 2: Dew Point will occur midway between inside and outside of insulation, and condensation will form on the inside surface of the exterior sheathing.
Dr. Lstiburek emphasized that when designing wall configurations, there’s no substitute for experience. Trusted advisors with deep experiential knowledge are always key — for supervision of projects, frequent walk-arounds, and simply to ensure there’s always an “adult” in charge!
We’re thrilled to have had the chance to hear from Dr. Lstiburek first-hand, and his talk left us with a wealth of actionable info. You can see Dr. Lsiburek’s full slide deck from the talk here.
Figure 3: Draw pictures on your building wrap to make sure everyone’s on the same page!
Updates On ABAA Activity
The ABAA provides multiple services for free on its website as well as through paid memberships. They produce research to help their members and publish valuable information through airbarrier.org. Specifically, Ryan Dalgleish addressed the Energy Savings Calculator now available thanks to ABAA, Oak Ridge, and NIST.
Thanks to the ABAA for their ongoing work! It was a pleasure attending this year’s conference!
