Techniques for Addressing Thermal Breaks that Arise During Construction
Username
Cynthia Staats
Proposer First Name
Cynthia
Proposer Email
cynthia.milinichik@gmail.com
Proposer Last Name
Staats
Proposer Company/Organization
Building Enclosure Science
Proposer Phone
(617) 633-3270
Proposer Job Title
Associate Principal
Proposed Session Description
Catching and solving thermal bridges in the building envelope that arise during construction can truly be the determining factor between whether the finished building meets the intended designed performance or not. All too often we see a change in systems due to the VE process or installation sequencing, or a complex geometry result in a thermal bridge that was not anticipated during design. This session will provide case study examples of how thermal bridging dilemmas were resolved.
Diversity and Inclusiveness
Our panel includes 3 women engineers, one of minority descent and a member of the LGBTQ+ Community.
Learning Objectives
Catch and solve thermal bridges in the building envelope that arise during construction.
Identify "low-hanging fruit" opportunities for addressing thermal bridging in existing buildings.
List areas the industry can provide support to achieve the intent of the new energy code.
Understand funding options available for improving the thermal performance of existing buildings.
Has this session been presented before?
No
Target Audiences Level of Expertise
Level 2 - Some prior knowledge helpful.
Session Format
Interview or structured conversation among panelists
Session Format Details
A moderated panel discussion with encourage audience participation in the dialog
Recommended Length
60-minute session
90-minute session
Comments about your speaker roster
We have an in-house presentation expert on our HR staff, she's amazing and works to vet our presentation formats and polish our presenters public-speaking skills to curate an audience-focused presentation. It's a passion of hers and she's truly phenomenal at it. She is not one of the presenters, just an amazing behind the scenes personnel.
Anything else you'd like to tell us about your session proposal?
I am really appreciative of this online submission form, its made submission a breeze and the "Save and Continue Editing" and the "Draft" vs. "Ready for Review" are really clutch features!
Presenters
Full Description
This session will address how to catch and solve thermal bridges that arise during the construction process. For far too long thermal bridges that arise during the construction process have been overlooked. Quite frankly, if you are not intentionally looking for them during the construction process they can go undetected until construction is finished. The owner is then left with a building that's not performing as well as it was designed and proclaimed. The energy code is now acknowledging the drastic reduction in thermal performance of the building envelope due to thermal bridges and is requiring designers to sharpen their pencils. But what about all the thermal bridges that result from last minute changes in construction well after the traditional role of the design team has culminated or changes due to sequencing or material availability? If you don't have a trained eye specifically tasked with identifying thermal bridges and a budget for design services during construction, will you be able to meet the promised energy performance of the building envelope? This session will go over common thermal bridging conditions and provide case study examples of how thermal bridging dilemmas were resolved. We will also discuss areas in which the industry can provide support to achieve the desired intent of the new energy code. We will share "low-hanging fruit" examples of how you can improve the thermal performance of existing buildings through maintenance and minor system upgrades. Our panel includes a structural engineer, two building enclosure engineers, and a real estate developer whose mission is to revitalize neglected urban neighborhoods. We will discuss different types of funding that can be used to help existing buildings and redevelopments meet their energy performance goals.