BEC Houston: BECx, Energy and Air Barriers

Lee Durston, Principal / Senior Building Science Consultant, will present Building Envelope Commissioning (BECx), Energy and Air Barriers: Continuity is Key at the Building Enclosure Council (BEC) Houston April Symposium! This presentation will take place at 9:15 a.m. on Friday, April 20th.

Presentation Overview:

Over the past decade, energy codes have brought a number of changes with respect to improving the performance of the building enclosures both in design and construction.  Most notable is the increasing importance placed on air-leakage through the enclosure and how this often unknown value affects many of the energy efficiency metrics that define the performance of the building.
Through a review of multiple case studies of current enclosure commissioning/consulting and whole building air leakage testing, including high-rise, multi-family, and historic renovation, this presentation will review the codes and standards for validity, impact, and relevance.  Additionally, the metrics of air-leakage as part of the overall energy model will be discussed along with the implications of what varying levels of acceptable air leakage can have on material selection, construction type, level of quality control and even complexity of performance testing.

Register here.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand BECx and the basics of holistic commissioning related to air barriers.
• Review the theory and historical progression of air tightness requirements and understand the metrics that provide the baseline for levels of air tightness.
• Understand validity, impact and relevance of the wide range of air tightness codes and standards.
• Understand air leakage performance verification testing.

About the Presenter:

J. Lee Durston BS, CBST II
Lee is a Building Science specialist with over 13 years of experience in a variety of project types including military, mid-rise, natatoriums, government, hospitality and multi-family residential.  He serves on the US Department of Defense High-Performance Building Envelope Task Force and is a contributing editor for the USACE Air Leakage Testing Protocol. He is a contributing author for the International Energy Agency Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems Annex 46 “Energy and Process Assessment Protocol”. Lee provides industry training for Building Envelope related professionals, contractors, architects, developers, and has developed specific training programs for Navy Facilities Command (NAVFAC) and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)