Basics of High Performance Building

51 Charles Ave.,Middlebury VT 05753

19 October, 2022

Description

Two-Part Training:October 19, 2022, 3:45 - 7:45 PM October 26, 2022, 3:45 - 7:45 PMLocation: Patricia Hannaford Career Center, 51 Charles St., Middlebury, VT 05301Cost: SEON Members: Full cost - $475. (Apply $225 subsidy from Windham Community Foundation grant plus $50 member discount) Final cost: $200 Nonmembers: Full cost - $475 (Apply $225 subsidy from Windham Community Foundation grant) Final cost: $250  (Become a member.) The Basics of High Performance Building is designed to advance the knowledge and skills of current builders in new and retrofit construction, all with a special focus on high performance construction and building science principles. This course is the foundation course for SEON’s Certified Level I High Performance Builder program, which is a program to educate and mentor the next generation of high performance building professionals. This program offers trainings, mentorship, on-site assistance, and more. COURSE DESCRIPTON:Part I: Think Like Air, Think Like Water: Building Science Principles Related to the Enclosure This course gives students an introduction to specific strategies used to achieve durable and energy efficient enclosures. Students will take away:     1) skills to describe the air tightness strategy used in a specific high-performance system      2) the ability to discuss strategies for proper moisture management given real world examples The course will be taught by professionals in the field and will emphasize real-world applications. Classroom learning will be balanced with hands-on experience, and evaluations will reflect these methods. Course Topics and Competencies: Explain the concept of heat transfer (convection, conduction and radiation)Explain/identify the drainage plane system on doors and windows.Explain the moisture transport of liquidIdentify transitions between water and airExplain convective air transport due to pressure differences from the three basic sources or forces that drive this: stack effect, wind, and fans of any sort (spot-exhaust, unbalanced ventilation, leaky forced-air space conditioning.Identify proper material selection (IAQ, thermal mass, moisture)Identify assembly drying potentialIdentify air sealing and framing sequencingControl layers and the flow of heat, vapor, water air and solar gain through building componentsUnderstand hygrothermal analysis and the ability to predict the flow of heat and moisture across enclosure assemblies using computer software.Part II: The Big Picture: Integration of the Whole Building System This course gives participants an overview of the building as a whole system. Students will take away:     1) skills to identify components of high-performance homes      2) the knowledge necessary to compare and contrast high-performance homes with code minimum conventional construction The course will be taught by professionals in the field and will emphasize real-world applications. Classroom learning will be balanced with hands-on experience, and evaluations will reflect these methods. Topics and Competency Levels Apply knowledge of the thermal envelope by identifying on plan setsDemonstrate understanding of simultaneous consideration of energy, durability, comfort, and IAQConvey understanding of integrated design and constructionIdentify air barriers and explain their importance. Identify and explain for each of the three basic barriers: air, thermal, and water. Identify the various heating plants and explain impact on the system including where it penetrates the envelope.Identify ventilation systems Instructor: Nate GusakovMy career in the building trades started as a job site broom-pusher in high school in my hometown of Bristol, VT. For twenty-odd years I wore a belt as a frame-to-finish carpenter (with a couple trips around the world and some college thrown in there to spice things up). I began swinging a hammer for Silver Maple Construction in 2012 and five years later they sent me to get my BPI certifications as a Building Analyst and Envelope Professional. Hundreds and hundreds of blower door tests later, I keep busy working for Silver Maple Construction/Zone 6 Energy as a building envelope consultant, certified Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx) Authority, and AeroBarrier installer. I offer a whole suite of services including: design review & consulting; specification writing assistance; residential and commercial whole-building air tightness testing up to ~80,000sf (ASTM E779 & E1827); handheld and drone-mounted thermal imaging; on-site progress testing and field verifications including pressurized fogging as well as fenestration air leakage and water penetration testing (ASTM E783 & E1105). Here's another way to describe some of what I do: I use big fans to blow air into and out of rooms. Or sometimes buildings. And sometimes the air has fog in it and I watch it but don't really measure it, and sometimes it's clear and I measure it but don't really see it. Sometimes I figure out the volume of the room, or the building, and sometimes I total up the area of all the sides. It all gets fed into fancy equations that smarter people have figured out over the years, and then I try to turn those results into meaningful information that makes its way to architect and laborer alike. When it comes right down to it, I aspire to be sort of like Friar Tuck in the Sherwood Forest of modern building science. I also play the banjo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Questions about registration? Please contact SEON at 802-376-9262 or [email protected].