Whole Building Airtightness: A 439 Building Study of Performance
Track 1
Tuesday, May 2, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
It’s no secret that green building practices and energy efficiency are on top of many contractors, owners, and industry professionals’ minds right now, and for good reason. We all want quality buildings, low energy and maintenance costs, and reduction in liability to name a few benefits. But are designs, products and energy codes yielding the results the industry is seeking? Learn about a 6 year collection of data from over 400 commercial buildings tested and how their airtightness is performing based on industry trends and code changes.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify a baseline performance for airtightness in commercial buildings.
- Compare test results to ever-changing energy code requirements.
- Learn common mistakes in design and craftsmanship which cause test failures and significant air leaks.
- Review conditions proven to perform.
Mike Poirier
QED Lab, Troutdale, OR
With a passion for science within construction, Mr. Poirier has excelled in a career focused on building enclosure testing. With accurate results and efficiency being client’s top priorities within this niche industry, QED Lab and Mr. Poirier have developed a reputation for testing large and complex structures for airtightness in the Pacific Northwest, and nationwide. Mr. Poirier has tested over 500 commercial buildings for more than 35 million square feet of building enclosures for airtightness since 2012. This testing history produces a vast library of test results, common failure diagnostics, and an ever-changing data comparison with local energy codes and green building requirements for airtightness. As a Level II Certified Infrared Thermographer, Mr. Poirier has become popular amongst clients for pinpointing air leakage sources in conjunction with air tightness testing, which has become standard procedure for many tests. Most importantly, education of building science and quality testing has become a recent passion for Mr. Poirier and he is proud to provide educational services to architects, contractors, developers, code officials, and students.