Member Spotlight: Paul Beavers
Paul Beavers is the president and manager of Systems Building Envelope Consultants, Ltd., which provides air barrier inspections and testing, roof and wall evaluations, draft and issue specifications and installation monitoring on a nationwide basis. His knowledge is frequently called upon as an expert witness in litigation as well as for destructive testing and evaluating failed roof and wall assemblies.
When did you become a licensed field auditor?
A: 2010
How has ABAA’s Field Auditor certification impacted your career or professional development?
A: The ABAA Field Auditor certification has allowed us to work on USACE projects performing field inspections for the GC’s on USACE jobs as well as provided projects direct from ABAA.
This certification has provided us the validation that we are qualified to perform field audits.
Name: Paul Beavers
Title: President
Company: Systems Building Envelope Consultants, Ltd.
City: Austin, Texas
ABAA member for 14 years
How has your training resulted in improved building performance for the owner?
A. No doubt, the knowledge obtained through the training process in the classroom, online and in the field has allowed us to serve our clients in a more professional and thorough manner.
In your opinion, what are they key elements of a successful air barrier audit?
A. Thoroughness is always a good service to provide. Not just the documenting the field conditions is important but communicating the observations leads to a more improved air barrier project.
Describe how understanding continuity and component compatibility has improved your work quality, and the work quality of the installers.
A. Feedback to the field installers makes for an overall better air barrier installation process and with each audit that the installers are a part of makes them better technicians.
Do you foresee an increased demand for improved performance and quality assurance in the air barrier/construction industry?
A. Clearly, the installation of air barriers and the need for building performance testing is not going away. In fact, I can see the commercial, non-governmental construction projects taking on the need for air barrier inspections and building performance testing in the future.
What advice would you give to someone considering pursuing the Field Auditor certification?
A. Do not hesitate getting into this field of service. The needs are ever increasing given the long term focus on conserving energy. We, as an industry, are just getting started and the requirements will only be found in the RFP’s more and more often.
Any additional insights about your certification experience or working in the air barrier industry?
A. Not only has the certification process opened doors but it is my opinion that the audits in the future will or should start to include observations of the areas in the building in which air infiltration and exfiltration movement are prone to occur. Pointing out those areas that are prone to leakage is, after all, the reason air barriers came into existence