Building Envelope Commissioning (BECx)

Thank you for the opportunity to introduce my building envelope (BE) commissioning (BECx) services.  As an architect and commissioning agent, I have specialized in supporting the design and construction of high-performance buildings.  Several documents related to these topics are provided in linked items below, with more information available upon request.  I welcome the opportunity discuss any or all of these services at your convenience.

Henri Fennell, CSI/CDT

  • General building envelope design services
    1. Architectural plan and detail reviews
      1. R-value compliance
      2. Air barrier continuity
      3. Water management
      4. Vapor control (dew point calculations, WUFI analysis, etc.)
      5. Buildability and durability
      6. Product compatibility
      7. Wall and roof assembly ventilation requirements
      8. Design choices related to indoor air quality (mold and mildew)
      9. Intent communication
    2. Architectural specification reviews and writing
      1. Building assembly, system, and product specifications
      2. Assembly and product research for pre-qualification and selection
      3. Code compliance
      4. Intent communication
      5. Submittals requirements (including performance guarantees)
      6. Quality assurance protocols
      7. Verification and compliance protocols
    3. General administration of projects with airtightness standards and/or guarantee requirements
    4. Cost- reduction program development and management for high-performance buildings
    5. In-house building envelope and building science educational programs
  • Integrated design services
    1. Budget development and estimating
    2. HVAC system type selection (Centralized vs. zonal, HAC separate from Ventilation, etc.)
    3. Building envelope and HVAC system design optimization
    4. Technical support for mechanical system right-sizing
  • High-performance air barrier design services
    1. Air barrier system modeling
    2. Setting air barrier performance standards
    3. Air Barrier (AB) Specification Section consolidation
    4. Material specifications (proprietary, performance, or prescriptive)
    5. Quality assurance protocol specifications
  • Contract support
    1. Contractor qualification and selection for project bid solicitations
    2. Submittals reviews
    3. BE product and method substitution request reviews
  • Construction management and technical support
    1. Building envelope quality assurance field inspections and testing – insulation and AB materials (density, dimensional stability, adhesion, etc.)
    2. Building envelope quality assurance field inspections and testing – insulation and AB installations (mockups, manufacturer’s requirements, IR thermography, monitoring, etc.)
    3. Air barrier kick-off meetings and educational support for contractors
    4. Air barrier testing  (Pressurized theatrical fog, blower door, first-instance, and other methods)
    5. Air barrier compliance testing