Day One

Airflow in Buildings and Assemblies

Complex three-dimensional airflow networks that arise from multi-component building pressure fields are typically misunderstood and misdiagnosed. Huh? Translated that means that everything is connected to everything else. Our buildings are hollow multi layer assemblies that interact with building mechanical systems and the exterior….including the ground and neighboring buildings. These assemblies and mechanical systems cannot be modeled….only measured. So what can you measure and why? Multifamily buildings are both similar to single family and very different. SIP roof assemblies are not the same as compact commercial roofs and therefore cannot be treated the same way. Cavities insulated with fiberglass are not the same as cavities insulated with spray foam…yet both leak…but in different ways. How to design and construct things to avoid problems. This is not just an envelope issue or just a mechanical system issues but a combined issue.

Day TWO

Special Use Facilities

Indoor swimming pools, art galleries, museums, hospitals, ice rinks, refrigerated and cold storage buildings, data processing centers, marijuana grow ops….they are all similar…and they are all different. They are all similar in that they require very special interior controlled conditions that often result in extreme hygrothermal loading to the building enclosure. They are all different in that a single approach to both enclosure design and mechanical design and operation does not apply across the board….but the lessons learned in data processing centers can be applied to marijuana grow operations and the lessons from ice rinks can be applied to museums.