Architectural Details ‐ Conveying Clarity

Track 1: Design Sessions

Wednesday, May 9, 08:00 – 09:30

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 and the consequences of not including sufficient details as part of construction documents.
  2. Know what code requires architects to provide for details.
  3. Understand building science effects on the architectural design.
  4. Understand how materials can play into the constructability of a design
Level of content:
Basic | Intermediate
100%
Audience:
Design
100%
Construction & Testing
0%

Melissa I. Payne, BECxP, CxA+BE, CDT

Building Envelope Consultant ‐ Forensic Investigator
Miller Engineering, P.C.

Melissa is a Building Envelope Consultant and forensic investigator at Miller Engineering, P.C.  Before joining Miller, she served as the owner’s representative at City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri where she managed 735,000+ SF of roofs and 137 enclosures.

She works with Owners, Architects, Engineers, designers, manufacturers, contractors, and related trades to ensure the integrity of building enclosures.  She brings collaboration to the design and construction process by providing design review and specializes in coordination of pre-construction and construction processes, details between dissimilar materials, enclosure terminations, and transitions between systems.    She performs construction observations and oversees performance testing.   Melissa conducts studies and forensic investigations in regards to building enclosures, provides building assemblies analyses, and conducts thermography surveys as a Level 2 Building Science Thermographer.

Melissa maintains high involvement in the design and construction industry as a guest speaker for Drury University School of Architecture in Springfield.  She’s a board member of the Southwest Missouri Construction Specification Institute, a member of the Building Safety Professionals and ICC, and is current chair and founding member of the Ozarks Regional Chapter of the Building Enclosure Council.  This past year Melissa was honored with the 2017 Vesta Award for the SWMO NAWIC Chapter.