Building Enclosure Consulting

Artificial lighting leads young sea turtles away from water, resulting in their demise. Therefore, many jurisdictions in Florida have adopted a Turtle Nesting Protection Ordinance. The intention of this ordinance is to protect sea turtles and other nocturnal animals along the coastline during the nesting season by reducing light pollution. One of the associated requirements […]

Picture is worth a thousand words. A good picture can also save a lot of nerves. A good photo of a construction defect or a facade failure is self-explanatory and often cuts unnecessary disputes before they even start. This is why I consider a camera to be my primary tool of  the trade. Apparently, the photos illustrating […]

As difficult as it is to imagine, buildings move. Introduction of curtain walls gave the buildings even more freedom to move. The peaceful rigidity of bulky bearing walls and relatively short spans of oversized structural members belong to the past. Today’s buildings move a lot more. In fact, the biggest single difference between curtain walls […]

One of the chief reasons of weatherproofing failures of facades is the thermal stresses and associated movements in excess of  seals’ elastic capacity. This is particularly true for metal curtain walls, because of

We help contractors and owners identify unclear design intent requiring a request for information (RFI) and assist architects in responding to RFIs.  We have seen many disputes, and we can often help in their common-sense interpretation unclear language of specifications and contract drawings. You may be interested in Kaz’s old post about Spearin Doctrine. The typical scope: Bid […]

We assist designers  in verification of performance of bespoke components and assemblies via computerized finite element analysis (FEA): thermal, hygrothermal, optical, solar,  static, and dynamic. Many of these state-of-the-art computer generated analysis are unique worldwide. E.g., we are recognized as a world-class leader in the field of 3-dimensional computer simulations. Download the printable scope of […]

We perform two types of building testing: in the real world and in the virtual world. For the latter, please see the our webpage dedicated to computer simulations. We perform and witness physical tests in the field to identify potential deficiencies and their sources. We normally follow procedures established by major industry associations and Florida Building […]

We collect data in the field, conduct field observations, perform quality tests, review submittals, and monitor construction in progress for conformance with the approved submittals and good industry practices. In the field, we provide standardized  traceable reporting, and periodically generate list of outstanding items. In the field, we provide standardized  traceable reporting, and periodically generates list of […]

We tackled the question What Is The Building Envelope or Enclosure? in my other post. Now it’s time for the General Description of the Profession. Building facades are a very emotional subject – they are expressions of owners’ and architects’ individualities and become a lasting monument of their earthy achievements. Facades account for up to […]

Due to our European façade engineering roots, we offer a unique design service, assisting designers in pushing the edge as opposed to emphasizing limitations. It has a liberating effect on the architects, who can then concentrate on the higher-level tasks. We specialize in challenging high-rise and high-end structures, where the principles of science apply more spectacularly […]

As a recent economic refugee, I conduct periodic building enclosure construction observations in a field; the task normally delegated to junior employees. The performance of the building is the contractors’ ultimate goal, or so they say. However, you may want to pay more attention to their actions. Dismayed to realize what some construction managers suppose […]

Every now and then I get a call or email asking for clarification of a specified facade testing. It typically happens after a contractor had asked an architect to clarify the testing location to no avail, and the irritated owner got involved, while the construction of the assembly in question was already underway. After my […]