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Past Special Events

June 29th, Thursday
Guest Speaker: Ken Lowney - President of Lowney Architecture

Modular Architecture: Thinking Inside the Box for Great Design

Modular construction is economical, makes efficient use of labor, reduces waste, and offers the quality control associated with prefabrication. As such, it solves many of the challenges facing project teams today.

Some architects worry about the creative limits of this appraoch. In fact, there is a great deal of flexibility in modular design using light-frame wood construction -- if architects understand the nuances of these projects.

In this session, modular experts from Lowney Architecture will use completed multifamily and hospitality projects to demonstrate how to successfully design and construct complex modular buildings in urban environments. Join us to discover how to achieve great design by thinking "inside the box."

Ken Lowney is the Founder and President of Lowney Architecture, a multidisciplinary practice offering architectural, interior, and master planning services. With locations in Oakland and  Honolulu, the firm focuses it's practice on residential, mixed-use, hospitality and retail  projects.

Speaker website: www.lowneyarch.com/

March 29th, 2023  
Guest Speaker: Steve Easley - Building Science Expert 

Water Management Best Practices for Walls with Exterior Insulation

New energy efficient construction requirements and codes are moving towards requiring exterior insulation. This can create conditions where wall systems have much slower drying potential and reduced capacity for inward and outward drying. The result is a greater potential for expensive moisture related wall defects and failures. Steve Easley will explain best practices for water management and how to use rain screen systems that provide simple, cost effective solutions to prevent water related damage and how to reduce costly defects. Steve uses pictures from his forensic experience to examine field failures of a variety of cladding systems.

Steve Easley 
Steve Easley & Associates LLC   
Construction Consultants

Steve Easley is an internationally recognized construction consultant specializing in solving building science-related problems and helping builders reduce costly callbacks.

Speaker website: www.steveeasley.com

December 8th, 2022
Guest Speaker: Ajla Aksamija

Thermal Behavior and Moisture Transport in High-Performance Facades: Design Considerations

 

This 1-hour presentation will cover methods for designing high-performance facades, specifically focusing on thermal behavior and moisture transport in various exterior wall assemblies.

The session will introduce building science principles that govern facades’ thermal behavior and vapor diffusion, and it will discuss thermal comfort parameters and measurements for understanding occupants’ comfort. It will also introduce methods and simulation tools that can be used to analyze heat transfer and combined air and moisture resistance in facade assemblies.

Ajla Aksamija

Ajla Aksamija, is a Professor and Chair of the School of Architecture at the University of Utah. Her research expertise includes building science, high-performance buildings, facade systems, emerging building technologies, and innovations in architecture.

September 22th, 2022
Guest Speaker: Fawn Chang

Forecasting Exterior Trends: The Architect's Role in Restoring Global Health

Architecture sits at the intersection of human and environment and subconsciously drives human behavior. Done well, design uplifts and encourages health and well-being. Defaulted, leads to dystopia, dissociation, disease, crime and global unrest. Using leading edge research this thought-provoking presentation identifies the significant global trends going forward.

Fawn Chang
Fawn Chang, Interior Designer, Color Marketing & Feng Shui Expert and author, has been on the leading edge of design for Health & Wellbeing for over 30 years. 

Speaker website: www.fawnchang.com

June 23th, 2022  
Guest Speaker: Robert Gerard, PE - Coffman Engineers

Navigating the Building and Fire Codes: Exterior Wall Compliance 

Building and Fire Code requirements can be confounding for architects and designers alike, especially when selecting exterior wall assemblies and specifying products that are code-compliant based on unique project details and jurisdiction requirements. Topics include the form and function of 1-hour and 2-hour Fire-Resistance Rated exterior wall assemblies, set back requirements, material, and design options for Construction Types I-IV, NFPA 285 compliance, construction materials testing, soffit design, Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) requirements.

Robert Gerard, PE

Many of Robert's projects have involved complex fire safety issues, often utilizing advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element modeling (FEM), peer review teams, and engagement with approvalauthorities. 

Speaker's Website: www.coffman.com
 

February 24th, 2022  
Guest Speaker: Steve Easley - Building Science Expert 

Best Practices for Water Management for Walls with Exterior Insulations 

New energy efficient construction requirements and codes are moving towards requiring exterior insulation. This can create conditions where wall systems have much slower drying potential and reduced capacity for inward and outward drying. The result is a greater potential for expensive moisture related wall defects and failures.  Steve Easley explains best practices for water management and how to use rain screen systems that provide simple, cost effective solutions to prevent water related damage and how to reduce costly defects.  Steve uses pictures from his forensic experience to examine field failures of a variety of cladding systems.

Steve Easley 
Steve Easley & Associates LLC   
Construction Consultants

Steve Easley is an internationally recognized construction consultant specializing in solving building science-related problems and helping builders reduce costly callbacks.

Speaker website: www.steveeasley.com

October 21st, 2021
Guest Speaker: Ajla Aksamija, PhD,LEED AP BD+C, CDT 

Sustainable and High-Performance Facades

This 1.5-hour presentation will cover methods for designing sustainable, high-performance facades, and the necessary steps in ensuring that the environmental factors and energy-efficiency strategies are integrated with the design process. The facade is one of the most significant contributors to the energy budget and the comfort parameters of any building. High-performance facades use the least possible amount of energy to maintain a comfortable interior environment, which promotes the health and well-being of building’s occupants.

Ajla Aksamija

Ajla Aksamija, is a Professor and Chair of the School of Architecture at the University of Utah. Her research expertise includes building science, high-performance buildings, facade systems, emerging building technologies, and innovations in architecture.

July 20th, 2021
Guest Speaker: Fawn Chang - Interior Designer, Color Marketing & Feng Shui Expert   

Color Trends & Color Psychology

Color and design trends reflect emerging human needs. This course explores and reveals global trends being re-evaluated in light of the global pandemic and influence upon the health, safety and wellbeing.

Not a disconnected event, color is intimately and intricately connected to our habits, behavior, physiology and ultimately our health and well-being. We explore color psychology and the impact design and color have in creating behavior and purchases, individually and collectively.

This course will define the role of color and design in the interface driving health and well-being for humans in the built environment.

Fawn Chang
Fawn Chang, Interior Designer, Color Marketing & Feng Shui Expert and author, has been on the leading edge of design for Health & Wellbeing for over 30 years. 

Speaker website: www.fawnchang.com

April 20th, 2021
Guest Speakers: Ralph Tavares, PE and Pedro Tavares  

Building Modular: Considerations in Off-Site Construction

Various considerations for off-site construction for those interested in learning more about this emerging discipline.

Ralph Tavares
Ralph Tavares, PE  

Pedro Tavares
Pedro Tavares  

R&S Tavares Associates have consulted with internationally known corporations in bringing overseas prefabrication technologies to the US. Ralph currently holds professional engineering licenses in 43 States. His son, Pedro, leads the firm’s infill development project team.

Speaker website: www.rstavares.com

October 20th, 2020  
Guest Speaker: Steve Easley - Building Science Expert 

Preventing Moisture Failures in Walls Using Rain Screens and Ventilated Cladding Systems & Building High-Performance Walls 

Selecting and properly installing rain screen systems to create ventilated cladding systems that integrate with exterior insulation; Understanding the pros & cons of the 3 most common approaches to water managed wall systems.

Steve Easley 
Steve Easley & Associates LLC   
Construction Consultants

Steve Easley is an internationally recognized construction consultant specializing in solving building science-related problems and helping builders reduce costly callbacks.

Speaker website: www.steveeasley.com