This presentation will explore the design philosophies and construction technologies of the building enclosure (“skins”) by considering historic (but post WW2) approaches, the development of new philosophies and materials currently popular, and the challenges that face the industry in the future. The rate of change in the demands on, and potential of, building enclosures has made it difficult for designers, manufacturers, owners, codes and insurers to keep up. One symptom of this challenge has been muddled or imprecise language that has caused significant confusion, exacerbated by the global nature of supply chains colliding with local culture. An attempt will be made to untangle the confusion.
The requirements of high-performance enclosures and the various design options available will be examined critically. Drawing from project experience in Canada, the US and the UK, modern enclosure walls will be investigated with a focus on real-world in-service performance. Specific examples of solid versus framed construction, face-sealed versus rainscreen rain control, airtightness, and insulation will be compared and contrasted. Finally, the existing trends of policy and technology will be considered to speculate about the needs of the enclosures of tomorrow.
Learning outcomes attendees should be able to:
- List key enclosure performance requirements
- Understand different enclosure-related terms, language, and jargon in the English-speaking world
- Explain the concept of the “perfect wall” design paradigm
- Describe the differences between traditional enclosures and modern systems
Speaker Bio:
John Straube
Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo
Principal, RDH Building Science & RDH Building Science Labs
John Straube, Ph.D., P.Eng., is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo, where he is cross-appointed between the School of Architecture and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
He is the author or co-author of over 100 published technical papers, author of the book High Performance Enclosures and co-author, with Eric Burnett, of Building Science for Building Enclosures. Dr. Straube’s leadership as a building scientist and an educator has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in Building Science Education from the National Consortium of Housing Research Centers (NCHRC).
As a Principal at RDH Building Science and RDH Building Science Labs, he conducts forensic investigations, assists the design of new high performance buildings, and leads research projects in the areas of low-energy building design, building enclosure performance, hygrothermal analysis, and field performance monitoring. He has been involved in the development of dozens of new building products, and sat on several product standards committees.
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