Warmer, Wetter and Winder: Future Proofing Your Building Enclosure for Extreme Weather

Building enclosure design has always been driven in part by the ability to moderate the outdoor environmental conditions and maintain an operational indoor environment. The demand on building enclosures is evolving rapidly as changing climatic conditions require the design to mitigate more intense weather events. Climate variables such as increased rainfall, rising or falling temperatures, more extreme winds, or more frequent intense storms can impact building enclosure design in different ways and require specific design strategies to reliably perform during extreme weather. Incorporating resiliency measures can help ensure buildings maintain their functional use and prevent losses during utility outages.

This presentation will begin with an overview of climate forecasting and adapting the project requirements to the future needs of various building types. The discussion will focus on the implementation of specific construction approaches from schematic design through construction and integration. Each approach will be considered with respect to reducing operational energy use through strategies such as increased insulation, increased air tightness, and optimal daylight design. We will investigate enclosure assemblies that may have performed adequately in the past but in a changing climate no longer provide adequate control. We will investigate building enclosure assembly selection to prioritize increased resiliency and durability, including redundant passive systems. Reuse and adaptation of the existing building stock will be investigated. Finally, the design approach must consider the ability to maintain comfortable or operable interior conditions during catastrophic events.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify changing climatic conditions that influence enclosure design such as increased wetting, changing vapor diffusion, shifting heating/cooling loads, and increased wind loads.
2. Understand how a changing climate can influence criteria for the overall building design such as wind funneling, pedestrian comfort, snow drifting, stack effect, flooding, and ice/snow accumulation.
3. Prioritize enclosure design strategies for durability, reduced maintenance, reuse, and resiliency
4. Investigate how previously successful enclosure assemblies may no longer perform adequately due to climate change.

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David Altenhofen, FAIA, Senior Technical Director, RWDI

David W. Altenhofen, FAIA is a Senior Technical Director for the Building Enclosure Practice of RWDI, a world-wide consultancy focusing on scientifically improving how buildings perform in their exact environment. David applies his 40 years of experience providing technical advice and quality assurance to a team of consultants bettering the building enclosure for a wide variety of projects. He has been involved in leadership roles in building enclosure performance for more than 20 years as a Principle within large architecture firms. David is active in the industry, serving on many local and national committees including past National Chair of the Building Enclosure Council and the ABAA Board. David worked on the NIBS committee to publish Guideline 3 for Building Enclosure Commissioning, authoring the chapter on Design Phase. He is past chair of the AIA Knowledge Community for Building Performance and was authored the shell chapter of the 11th edition of Architectural Graphic Standards. He has been widely published and presents frequently, including at multiple national AIA conventions, ABAA conferences, local BECs , universities and as a part of the RWDI educational symposiums.