NESEA's BuildingEnergy15 Conference & Tradeshow this March, 3rd-5th in Boston will be my third NESEA conference. I enjoy the Building Energy conferences because the topics are thought provoking, and many seem to read my mind – “I was just wondering about that!” As an emerging professional – I received my master’s degree in 2012 – I appreciate that the sessions are both technical and practical in nature.

This year is no exception, especially considering that I was asked to act as a content curator. I developed the Thursday morning session ‘The All Glass Building – Is Energy Efficiency Possible?’ As an enclosure consultant in the Boston area, I see many highly glazed buildings constructed. This trend has made me question the energy efficiency of our building techniques, and what motivates our material choices. It should be an interesting and lively session, as two of our colleagues discuss their opposing viewpoints in balancing the use of glass with sustainability objectives.  Specific examples with different methodologies will be presented. I hope to see you there!

There are so many great presentations planned this year.  Another Thursday session of interest, ‘Inside and Out: Integrated Building Facade and HVAC Design’, promises to address the line where enclosure consultants and HVAC engineers must come together. This topic is not only important for me as an enclosure consultant, but should be vital to all involved in the building process. It is one of the best places to reduce energy use.

Moving from vision to the opaque, another session I’d like to catch is ‘Tiny Bubbles: the Deal with Spray Foam’.  There has been a lot of debate surrounding SPF insulation which the industry has quickly begun to rely upon.  I think the most useful result of this session will be suggestions for alternate details and materials, as well as the pros and cons of all the options.  I look forward to hearing what the speakers have to say.

Installation is one of the most vital aspects of ensuring a building performs as designed. Therefore, I also plan to attend ‘Installing Commercial Windows and Curtain Walls without Thermal Bridges, Air, or Water Leaks.’ The program also promises to discuss construction sequencing, which is consistently related to issues that can affect design and is never given enough importance.