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Foam Free High Performance Building Enclosures
PHI Designer/Consultant Continuing Education: 1 Credit
Course Description
Foam Free High Performance Building Enclosures presents a clear and practical guide to achieving the highest levels of resilient and sustainable building enclosures while eliminating foam. The growing performance demands of air control, vapor control, thermal control, health and sustainability are examined. Foam insulation, dominant in today's high-performance marketplace, is increasingly recognized as hindering many of these building performance goals. Practitioners are therefore wanting and finding new solutions that virtually eliminate foam and provide greater performance. This presentation is a careful look at how to do it.
Learning Objectives
- Define what qualities differentiate high-performance enclosures from typical construction and how those qualities are evolving.
- Describe practitioner concerns of foam insulation hindering efforts to meet the evolving high-performance qualities.
- Describe how a foam free enclosure can more robustly achieve the qualities of high-performance.
- Describe practical methodologies practitioners can implement, to successfully produce a high-performance enclosure that is foam free.
High Performance Historic Masonry Retrofits
PHI Designer/Consultant Continuing Education: 1 Credit
Course Description
The goals of historic preservation and energy efficiency and comfort often seem in conflict, as higher insulation levels can pose new risks to these timeless structures. Yet it need not be so. This comprehensive presentation discusses strategies for minimizing the apparent conflict while allowing for the highest possible performance - ensuring that the integrity of the structure won't be compromised and making a more robust structure for the next 100 years: preservation and high-performance working together for a truly sustainable future. The classic brick wall is un-insulated (R-6-ish) 3 wythe thick wall, prone to air infiltration. As many historic buildings fall under some form of aesthetic scrutiny often exterior insulation is prohibited. Therefore, the only option to make these buildings energy efficient is to insulate them on the interior. This presentation takes a close look at how to insulate these walls safely from the interior - considering moisture drive, bulk rainwater issues, and insulation materials - avoiding the dangers of freeze-thaw and mold.
Learning Objectives
- Describe key attributes for high-performance enclosures and how historic masonry walls often fall short.
- Describe key threats to the long-term stability of historic masonry walls.
- Describe ways in which high-performance goals can make a historic masonry wall stronger or riskier.
- Outline key qualities, components, and strategies to optimize both energy efficiency and wall longevity.
High Performance Roof Daylighting
Course Description
Roof daylighting elements and architectural roof glass are striking and desirable building features that historically come at a high cost - leaks, energy loss, thermal discomfort, and condensation issues. Next generation roof glazing is addressing these issues and developing roof glass elements designed to be thermal-bridge-free, and suitable for high performance and Passive House envelope needs. Fenestration of all kinds requires special attention, but failures in roof glazing can unravel the thoughtful planning put into the rest of the building. Potential for thermal bridging, overheating, cold air convective currents and air or water leaks can dampen or destroy the gains of free daylight and visual comfort. In this presentation we cover design considerations for roof daylighting of all types and sizes - commercial or residential, flat or pitched roof, light tube or wall-to-wall roof glass. Proper integration and design decisions result in roof daylighting that addresses energy, light, health, ventilation, comfort, and overall wellness of both occupants and the longevity of the building envelope.
Learning Objectives
- Describe common problems with roof daylighting elements, from design to installation.
- Describe attributes necessary for roof daylighting in high performance enclosures.
- Describe the methods for analyzing daylighting elements for thermal performance, and energy balance.
- List key design considerations of roof daylighting elements in regard to health impacts (air, light, and condensation risk).
Build it Tight and Ventilate Right: High Performance, Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery
PHI Designer/Consultant Continuing Education: 1 Credit
Course Description
In both retrofit and new construction, we are now building high-performance, low-energy envelopes to address the immediacy of climate change. To do so, our buildings are becoming increasingly air tight, toward the Passive House standard. ‘Build Airtight and Ventilate Right’ discusses the importance and benefits of properly balanced, filtered, continuous ventilation with heat recovery in high performance projects. By using mechanical heat recovery ventilation (HRV) and energy recovery ventilation (ERV) systems to provide oxygenated fresh air to occupants, we can control how much air is brought in, supply and exhaust it to/from desired zones, and improve the quality of that air, while reducing the amount of energy needed to heat that incoming air. HRV and ERVs come in many forms. We discuss through-wall pendulum HRVs and centralized cross-counterflow systems. These systems have been shown to have cognitive benefits to occupants and can reduce the risk of mold in buildings.
Learning Objectives
- Outline the relationship between air-tightness and a building’s comfort, energy-efficiency, and risk of condensation, rot, and mold.
- List the benefits of mechanical, continuous, balanced, ventilation with heat recovery to the building and occupants.
- Describe the differences between HRVs and ERVs and various types of systems.
- Outline the components of a centralized home-run system, and how to properly design a system for projects.
Moisture Management Strategies for Mass Timber Construction
Course Description
Mass timber construction has gained considerable popularity in the USA and globally over the last decade. From large scale institutional projects to commercial and residential developments, it appears that mass timber in construction has few limits. But how is building with mass timber different from conventional construction that uses concrete and steel? How does mass timber impact a project’s timeline, budget, and sustainability goals? What are the best practice moisture management strategies for mass timber buildings? You will learn the answers to all of those questions and more in this presentation on this exciting new building material. Join us to learn more about moisture management strategies for mass timber construction!
Learning Objectives
- Attendees will be introduced to mass timber construction in a North American context to learn about the environmental and health/wellness benefits that mass timber can offer.
- Attendees will learn about how moisture can negatively affect many aspects of a mass timber construction project, from design through to project completion.
- Attendees will analyze the different types of moisture management strategies currently in use in the industry.
- Attendees will discuss the parameters to consider when choosing a moisture management strategy that will minimize the risk of mold growth and moisture damage.
Architecture of Daylight
Course Description
This course explores the architectural potential of daylight from above and examines how modern skylight systems allow architects to pursue ambitious daylighting strategies while maintaining building-envelope performance. Beginning with historic and contemporary precedents, the course examines how roof daylighting shapes experience, spatial hierarchy, emotion, and material perception. The presentation then addresses common historical skylight failures, including water infiltration, thermal bridging, condensation, and material degradation, and explains how contemporary engineered systems mitigate these risks through integrated enclosure strategies. Participants will review the architectural and technical decisions involved in specifying roof daylighting systems, including geometry, glazing selection, detailing, mounting conditions, thermal performance, and integration with the roof assembly. Built project references are used throughout the course to demonstrate how architectural intent can be translated into high-performance, constructible skylight systems. The course is intended for architects, designers, consultants, and construction professionals seeking a deeper understanding of roof daylighting as both an architectural and building-envelope system.
Learning Objectives
- Identify how daylight from above influences spatial hierarchy, experience, material perception, and occupant comfort in architecture.
- Recognize common causes of skylight failure, including inadequate drainage, sealant dependence, thermal bridging, and poor system coordination.
- Evaluate how modern skylight systems use engineered strategies such as pressure management, secondary drainage, thermal continuity, and controlled interfaces to improve long-term performance.
- Apply architectural and technical considerations related to skylight geometry, glazing selection, detailing, and integration when designing and specifying roof daylighting systems.