Cool Roofs for a Warming World: Why We Need Cool Roofs and What to Consider When Planning to Install Them March 26, 2021 Rising temperatures are fast becoming the key challenge for our cities and urbanized areas. The effects of heat have negative outcomes for people’s health and well-being, social equity, energy use and peak demand, resilience of health, transportation and electrical infrastructure, crime, education outcomes, and productivity.1 A study of nearly 1,700 cities found that these combined […] Read More
Moisture and Durability in Green Standards March 20, 2021 18 • IIBEC Interface April 2022 ABSTRACT Recent changes in building model energy codes include enclosure criteria that minimize building enclosure thermal loads and, in turn, reduce a building’s energy consumption. These changes require modifications in traditional building enclosure designs to meet evolving energy code requirements. Unfortunately, some code-compliant energy-efficient designs may adversely impact a […] Read More
Fastener Thermal Bridging in Low-Slope Roofs: Where do we stand on energy and money loss, codes, and verification? February 26, 2021 When it is summer and your air conditioning is on full power, or it is winter and the heating system is doing its best, do you leave the doors and windows open? Of course not; you keep things as closed up as possible. A tight building enclosure tries to decouple the interior environment from that […] Read More
A Modern Makeover – A Failed, Tired Masonry Façade Gets a New High-Performance Look November 18, 2020 BACKGROUND Occasionally, building renovation projects present an opportunity to renovate old, tired, worn out, or outdated features and totally transform the facility into something completely new or different. Such is the case with the transformation of a circa-1980s office building and research facility into a modern, more energy-efficient, transformed structure (Figures 1, 2, and 3). […] Read More
A Burning Question: Fire Testing of a Window Wall System With Spray Foam Insulation November 18, 2020 A Burning Question: Fire Testing of a Window Wall System With Spray Foam Insulation Stéphane Hoffman, PEng Morrison Hershfield Corporation 600 Stewart Street, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98101 (206) 268-7370 | shoffman@morrisonhershfield.com Nonpresenting Coauthor David Kayll, PEng No v e m b e r 9 , 1 0 , 1 2 , 1 6 , […] Read More
Resilient and Adaptable Roof System Design November 18, 2020 Resilient and Adaptable Roof System Design Jennifer Keegan, AAIA GAF Materials Corp. 1 Campus Dr., Parsippany, NJ 07054-4404 (973) 628-4117 | jennifer.keegan@gaf.com and James R. Kirby, AIA GAF Materials Corp. 809 Redbud Lane, Wilmette, IL 60091 (312) 505-6630 | james.kirby@gaf.com No v e m b e r 9 , 1 0 , 1 2 , […] Read More
Retrofit Single-Ply Roof Systems Over Metal Roofs: Design, Analysis, and Physical Testing October 11, 2020 Metal buildings with metal panel roof systems are commonly used across the United States, and a retrofit single-ply roof system (RSPRS) is often installed on top of the metal panel roof after it has been determined that it no longer provides useful service. Before discussing retrofit single-ply installations, it is necessary to mention that there […] Read More
Self-Drying Roofs July 11, 2020 The concept of a self-drying roof has been discussed, tested, and modeled since the early 1960s. The concept is fairly simple: Moisture originating from interior water vapor collects over the colder winter months, when the vapor drive is from the inside to the outside, and can dissipate during the warm/hot summer months when the vapor […] Read More
Meeting Sustainability Goals Without Sacrificing Fire Safety May 11, 2020 INTRODUCTION The increased focus on sustainability in the built environment has led to the introduction of many new materials and construction practices into the marketplace. These situations may not be addressed in the building or fire code; or worse, they may be prohibited, leading some sustainability advocates to propose revisions to the codes. While technological […] Read More
First Line of Defense – Plaza Waterproofing Replacement March 20, 2020 First Line of Defense – Plaza Waterproofing Replacement Casey Williams, PE Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Inc. 800 Boylston Street, Suite 2320, Boston, MA 02199 617-963-5406 • ccwilliams@sgh.com IIBEC 2020 Virtual International Conve ntion & Trade Show | June 12-14, 2020 W illiams | 187 Casey Williams is a senior staff II member in the building […] Read More
