Building Mechanical and Enclosure Considerations for a Post-COVID World
In March 2020, many commercial buildings were essentially evacuated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As many people shifted to working from home, some buildings reduced occupancy or shut down entirely. For more than a year, building owners and managers have needed to control access, increase cleaning regimens, and modify mechanical system operation to increase ventilation and filtration. Now, as restrictions begin to lift and we start to re-occupy our buildings and businesses, our attempt to get back to “normal” raises several questions about whether these past measures should continue and what their long-term impacts may be. In this webinar, we will discuss the COVID-related mechanical and enclosure measures that have been commonly implemented to improve indoor air quality for existing buildings and discuss their long-term impacts on mechanical equipment and building enclosure systems. We will also share design considerations for new building mechanical and enclosure systems, as these are now at the forefront of design discussions and occupant concerns moving forward.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Understand the options for modifying existing mechanical systems to improve ventilation and filtration.
- Discuss long-term impacts of modified operations on mechanical and enclosure systems.
- Understand the benefits of improving the air, thermal, and vapor control layer continuity in enclosure systems.
- Recognize opportunities to use computer simulation to identify potential issues and inform design decisions.
Participants will earn 1.0 AIA CES Learning Unit (LU/HSW) for attending the live webinar. Registration is free. Please note that space is limited – email events@sgh.com to join our waitlist if the session is closed when you register.
About the Speaker
Cheryl Saldanha leads SGH’s Building Science and Passive House practices and specializes in designing and evaluating building enclosures for new construction projects and existing building enclosure renovations. Her experience includes rainscreen facade, curtain wall, roofing, and waterproofing systems on a range of building types. Cheryl is adept at using multiple computer software packages to simulate building systems and details for thermal, condensation, and whole-building energy and daylighting analysis. Cheryl co-chairs the New York City Chapter of the International Building Performance Simulation Association and is a member of the NYC Commercial Energy Code Technical Advisory Committee.
Scott Bondi has extensive experience in building enclosure design, specializing in building science and numerical analysis. Scott consults on both new construction and historic renovation projects, from conceptual design through construction administration, applying his specific expertise in curtain wall and custom glazing systems. In addition, he is experienced in providing forensic engineering services and expert witness support for both building enclosure and mechanical systems. Scott uses a variety of advanced tools, including computational fluid dynamics and finite element analysis, to support his design and investigative work. Scott is an adjunct professor at The Cooper Union, where he has lectured and developed courses in finite element techniques, computational fluid dynamics, and solid mechanics since 2007.
Vanderweil Engineers
Denis Silvia is an Associate Principal at Vanderweil with forty-two years of experience in master planning, energy studies, project management, design/engineering, construction administration, MEP/FP start-up, commissioning, and company operations. At Vanderweil, Denis is a leader in the firm’s Commissioning group and serves as the Commissioning Agent for a variety of project types. As a Certified Energy Manager, Certified Commissioning Agent, and LEED Accredited Professional, he also drives the commissioning process for LEED Fundamental and Enhanced projects and custom commissioning and retro-commissioning projects. Denis has been responsible for the management and design engineering of more than 40 million square feet of construction, energy audits, and commissioning projects.
Vanderweil Engineers
Mike Walsh is a Principal at Vanderweil with thirty-five years of mechanical engineering experience. His responsibilities include the development and integration of mechanical systems to best suit the specific program requirements of the project. Mike works closely with the client and our in-house team and continues to manage the HVAC system development and implementation until the building is occupied. Furthermore, he has extensive experience in the design of biotech facilities, criminal and forensic laboratories, BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories, hospitals, animal facilities, and academic health and science facilities totaling more than 10 million gsf.
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