Designing an air-tight, water-tight, and energy efficient building requires an understanding of the anatomy of the entire building enclosure in order to build structures that will perform as intended. A lack of understanding of these concepts translates into poor architectural details, gaps in information, and elements that cannot be properly installed, leading to contractors “figuring it out on the field.” This presentation will touch upon basic concepts of building science and how drawings can be improved to create beautiful structures that function properly, by conveying clarity on details at foundation-to-wall, roof-to-wall, window-to-wall, penetrations, and at dissimilar material transition points.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the importance of architectural details
2. Understand the consequences of not including sufficient details as part of construction documents
3. Know what code requires architects to provide for details
4. Understand how materials can play into the constructability of a design

Melissa Payne, BECxP, CxA+BE, CDT

Midwest Enclosure Consulting, LLC

Melissa I. Payne focuses on offering building enclosure third-party services. She founded
Midwest Enclosure Consulting, September 2022, to offer owners, design, and construction
teams with expertise in building science, building envelope solutions, forensic investigations,
as well as building performance assessments and construction onsite inspections.
Ms. Payne joined Tremco CPG Inc. November 1, 2018, as a Construction Management
Specialist. She then managed the Enclosure System Solutions Team and administered the
MyTEAM Leak-Free Warranty Processes and Services till April 25, 2023, at which time the
company decided these services would no longer be offered under Tremco CPG, Inc.
Prior to joining Tremco, she provided building enclosure commissioning and consulting service and conducted forensic investigations on a multitude of projects while at Miller Engineering, P.C. Prior to developing and heading the building enclosure division at Miller, she served as the Owner’s Representative on both capital and non-cap construction and restoration projects for City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri, a municipal utility company. Ms. Payne possesses a strong foundation in industry standards related to building envelope commissioning processes, commissioning authority, building science, construction observation, performance testing, project management, and general construction of building envelope systems including: institutional, schools, higher education, government, healthcare, hospitality, and industrial projects. Her owner representative, third-party consulting experience, forensic work, commissioning provider background, and manufacturer internal consultant involvement gives her an all-enveloping perspective of the design and construction industry. Currently she works with owners, architects, engineers, designers, construction managers/general contractors, and enclosure trades to promote the integrity and
performance of building enclosures. She is known for bringing collaboration to the design and construction process. She focuses on bridging the gap in design and construction with design review services, development of project specific details, construction observation and documentation, and focuses on mitigating risk as they relate to the design and construction of the building enclosure system.