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The Boston Society of Architects’ Building Enclosure
Council’s (BEC-Boston) activities center around the
development of a community of people who are interested in and have
expertise in the design and building of building enclosures.
BEC-Boston meetings occur once a month. Our meetings begin with a
half-hour discussion of various projects on which we are working.
Past projects have included development of air barriers (see www.mass.gov/bbrs/sample_details.htm),
a new American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard of
air leakage testing, guidance of the ASTM standard through the
approval process, a bibliography of recommended resources, and an
article for ArchitectureBoston on the window-to-wall
connection.
Our discussions also focus on some of our ongoing projects,
including a residential/wood frame initiative that involves members
who have particular interest in wood-framed cladding systems,
daylighting benefits and purpose, methods of analyzing and
designing with light, the avoidance of heat gain and glare, an
education initiative to reach out to local architecture offices,
and development of our Web site, www.bec-boston.org.
Our meetings feature an hour-long presentation on a subject of
interest, followed by a question-and-answer session. The
presentations are often given by a national technical
representative from a manufacturer, but are also given by
architects, professors, envelope and other consultants, installers,
and subcontractors. Topics have included:
• Computerized heat-air-moisture analysis software
demonstrations
• Overview of MIT’s Building Technology Group
• Vapor retarders and air barriers
• Masonry veneer anchors
• Double façades
• Use of spray polyurethane foam as an air barrier
• Aluminum window-to-wall connection
• Green roofing
• Cost of air barriers
• Plaza waterproofing
• Thermography as a diagnostic tool
• Staining from sealants.
The questions following the presentations are notoriously tough,
but friendly—all in the spirit of discovery.
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