While commissioning of MEP building systems has been around for many years, Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx) is relatively new to the construction industry. This presentation will provide an outline on the practice of BECx and its benefits with real world case studies. It will begin by walking through the fundamental building science principles pertaining to heat and moisture movement through building enclosure assemblies, as well as describe the function and order of importance of the primary environmental control layers (water, air, vapor and thermal).

The building science principles will serve as foundation for understanding anticipated building performance and what is expected for high performance buildings today while comparing to what was required historically. The presentation will then dive further into the various approaches in the industry today like LEED v4.1 and ASTM E2813, focusing on the key activities performed during each construction phase. Each stage of the BECx process will be thoroughly described including the typical deliverables (e.g., BECx Plan/Record, BECx specifications examples, design peer reviews, construction observation, item tracking log, functional performance testing, etc.).

Photo courtesy of Sustainable Building Partners

Adam Ugliuzza brings 17 years of engineering experience focusing on building science and the building enclosure construction industry. Discipline expertise includes building enclosure consulting and commissioning services for new and existing construction, in addition to forensic investigations to determine root cause of building performance issues. He also brings industry leading expertise in large building whole building airtightness testing. Adam continues to work on projects across the United States and abroad providing professional building enclosure consultation in both the residential and commercial space for all types of construction. Through this experience, Adam brings a unique approach to building enclosure consulting and testing, concentrating on enclosure interface coordination in design and construction phases of the project that overlays a holistic approach, critical to achieving high performance building construction; the goal to help ensure all the materials, systems, and assemblies are properly connected to provide continuous environmental control.