Construction Cautions and Top 10 Concerns with Enclosures

Brian M. Stroik – Manager – Building Envelope Solutions Team, Tremco Commercial Sealants & Waterproofing

Summary

Building Enclosures and air barriers require care and attention to detail from the design to execution stage. With the myriad of wall configurations and choices in air barriers, insulation, and exterior cladding, not to mention the different manufacturers of these products, it can become daunting to know where to start or how to ensure a high performance enclosure. Key items need to be addressed both during design and during the management of the construction process. These items need to be dealt with in a logical manner in a specific critical path. This presentation will review the Top 10 construction concerns with the building enclosure specific to design, pre-construction, mock-up’s, field installation issues, sub-trade execution and final testing for compliance.

Learning Objectives

• Acquire knowledge in critical aspects of design, based on building science principles, by using sample details for continuity, redundancy and certain code requirements of the air barrier system.
• Describe the process for pre-construction meetings and key criteria and agenda items to ensure performance expectations are met, sequencing is done properly, details are well understood and transition from one trade to another is accomplished using sample plans.
• Explain the various test methods for installation verification for both air and water performance by reviewing ASTM and AAMA test standards and how they conducted and when they should be conducted through examples and photo’s.
• Plan successful mock up and testing program to verify continuity, compatibility and sequence of construction by review of sample mock-up’s and test methods that can be applied to both quantify performance and provide a learning tool for the construction team.

About Our Presenter

Brian Stroik is a recognized industry leader in the construction of energy efficient, sustainable and durable buildings.

Brian works with key industry organizations – including the Air Barrier Association of America, the National Building Enclosure Council, and the Building Enclosure Technology and Environmental Council (BETEC) – on research and education regarding building enclosures, energy efficiency, and retrofitting and upgrading existing building enclosures.
Brian is a frequent speaker on the subjects of commissioning the building enclosure (BECx), quality in construction, and mock ups / first run studies.  Brian has also chaired numerous speaker sessions at national conferences and hosted roundtable discussions.  He holds the following industry positions and affiliations:

• Past Chair, National Building Enclosure Council (NBEC)
• Vice Chair and a Director, Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA)
• Advisory Board Member, Building Enclosure Technology and Environmental Council (BETEC a Council of the National Institute of Building Sciences – NIBS), Washington, DC
• Founder and Chair, Building Enclosure Council of Wisconsin (BEC-WI)
• Voting member of ASTM E06 – Building Performance
• Senior Member, American Society of Quality (ASQ)
• Certified, American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE)

White papers by Stroik on the subjects of building energy efficiency and building enclosure design, among others, have been published in The Journal of Energy Efficiency & Reliability, The Journal of Building Enclosure Design and SprayFoam Magazine.