Peering Into Enclosure Details       

A key step in achieving high-performance building enclosures is having a thorough set of contract documents, complete with well-developed enclosure details. The details help in relaying the design intent for interface conditions between building enclosure materials as well as showing the continuity of the air, moisture, and thermal barrier layers. Oftentimes, Architects will have their drawings peer-reviewed by other firms specializing in building enclosures to verify that the details are accurate and constructible and that there are no missing critical details. This presentation will begin by providing an overview of the peer review process and typical comments made during reviews of the plans, elevations, and details. Following the overview, the audience will be broken out into teams to review example details. In the end, everyone will reconvene to discuss the details and comments. 

Jonathan Kovach is a professional engineer and building enclosure consultant at Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. (WJE). He holds a bachelor's degree from Ohio University and a master's degree from Lehigh University. Mr. Kovach has experience in building enclosure condition assessments, design peer reviews, building enclosure commissioning, field testing, investigations of new and existing structures, repair design, and construction phase services for various building types. Since joining WJE in 2003, he has provided professional services for numerous projects involving a variety of building enclosure systems including brick masonry, stone, terra cotta, wood, windows, curtain wall, storefronts, skylights, metal wall panels, roofing, and waterproofing. 

  Anita Simon has been the project architect for numerous contemporary and historic structures. Through the investigation, repair design, and field observation during construction, she has gained experience in the design, installation, and performance characteristics of a variety of enclosure assemblies and materials. Her work involves peer review of building enclosure systems, condition assessments, and evaluation of assembly or material failures followed by the development of repair recommendations. She is a registered architect and presented on the topics of historic masonry investigation, repairs, and insulation retrofits; fiber cement siding materials failures; enclosure maintenance; and design for high performance building enclosures.