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Adventures in Building Science

Posted by StarChapter on Apr. 17, 2023  /   0

Greetings!

As I mentioned in our recent newsletter, we will be having two events in April, a webinar on Wednesday April 19th at 9 AM and an "in person" event at the Laars Manufacturing facility in Rochester NH on Thursday April 20th at 6 PM. The speaker for the Laars in person event is the renowned Dr. Joe Lstiburek. Joe is the founding principal of Building Science Corporation and an ASHRAE fellow. He is one of the foremost authorities on the topic of building construction and has extensive experience in some of the most challenging building designs, and/or redesigns in the industry. Many of your will recognize Joe from the many articles he writes for the ASHRAE Journal, which are always informative and fun to read. His ability to blend complex building science topics with common sense and humor is refreshing. The Wall Street Journal referred to Joe as "the dean of North American building science", and Fast Company magazine called him "the Sherlock Holmes of construction".

I was fortunate to be invited to attend a Building Science "Boot Camp" a few years ago. It is a 3 day event held near their offices in Westford Mass where top building scientists from around the world are invited to come and present topics and designs of interest. Joe hosts the event, which ends each day with an incredible barbeque featuring cooking teams that fly in from all over the US, a large party, and dancing in their barn until very late at night (or early in the morning). Joe is extremely knowledgeable, has great "real world" experience, and is a great speaker. This is an event you will not want to miss.

As I mentioned, we are fortunate this month to have our friends at Laar's host our event, which will include a factory tour of their beautiful facility for those interested. I would like to thank them in advance for hosting us for another year. If you would like to participate in a tour of their facility, please plan to arrive early.

So please join us on Thursday April 20th for another great Granite State ASHRAE event.

NOTE: We have a limit of 35 people that can fit comfortably in the Laars Cafeteria. If you are interested in having dinner with us, please register using this link below. If you are interest in just sitting in on the presentation, please just arrive by 7 PM and no dinner registration is needed.

Dinner Registration Link Here: Dinner registration is first come, first serve.

Event Payment Link Here: The event will be $30 for ASHRAE Members and $35 for non-ASHRAE members.

Here's the schedule:

  • 5-5:30 Arrival and Social Hour
  • 5:30 - 6:00 Tour of Laars Manufacturing Facility
  • 600 - 7:00 Dinner Served
  • 7:00 - 8:00 Presentation in Auditorium

Directions: Laars is located at: 20 Industrial Way, Rochester NH

Thanks,

Paul Bemis
Applied Math Modeling Inc
Air Cleaners Inc.
President Granite State ASHRAE
[email protected]
603-369-6085

Adventures in Building Science

Water management in low energy construction is very different than water management in old high energy construction. The energy exchange is less so the drying potential is less. The materials are different…. we are not building out of 1,000 year old trees and rocks… engineered wood is an insult to wood and to engineers…. air conditioners no longer dehumidify…. mechanical air change rates are going up because folks believe that improves air quality… when it is clear that dilution is not the solution to indoor pollution…. and the COVID folks want to increase indoor RH to 40 to 60 percent year round…. the only folks that will be happy are the fire folks because buildings will be too wet to burn…

Speaker Biographies

Joseph Lstiburek is the founding principal of Building Science Corporation. Dr. Lstiburek’s work ranges widely, from providing expert witness testimony to overseeing research and development projects, to writing for the ASHRAE Journal and buildingscience.com. Dr. Lstiburek’s commitment to advancing the building industry has had a lasting impact on building codes and practices throughout the world, particularly in the areas of air barriers, vapor barriers, and vented and unvented roof assemblies. For example, his work with industry partners through the Department of Energy’s Building America program led to significant research into the wetting and drying of walls and ultimately to a major code change relaxing the requirement for vapor barriers in the International Residential Code.

Dr. Lstiburek is also an acclaimed educator who has taught thousands of professionals over the past three decades and written countless papers as well as the best-selling Builder Guides. Fittingly, the Wall Street Journal has described him as "the dean of North American building science." He has a joy for telling tall tales to his protégés and audiences.
Dr. Lstiburek holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering, a Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Building Science. While still an undergrad, Dr. Lstiburek worked as a residential construction manager; during his Master’s degree, he developed the Air Drywall Approach to air barriers. Other formative experiences include working on the Canada-wide Super Energy Efficient Housing R-2000 program and serving as senior engineer on commercial construction projects for Trow in Toronto. Dr. Lstiburek founded BSC in 1990 with his business partner Betsy Pettit, and he has been a key figure in establishing BSC as one of the most influential, innovative, and respected building science firms in North America.

The cost for this event will be $30 for ASHRAE member and $35 for non-members. To register for the event in advance, please use this link below:

REGISTER

UNH ASHRAE Chapter recruits are free.
To register by check or other forms of payment, please contact
James Wicks: [email protected]
The Granite State ASHRAE is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing quality information and knowledge to our local design and built market.

To view the original announcement, click here.

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