Rice University, Music and Performing Arts Center

SGH consulted on the design of the building enclosure, including curtain wall, aluminum punched windows, masonry-clad walls with decorative stone or cast-stone elements, and clay-tile and low-slope roof assemblies. Highlights of our work include the following:

• Evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of various fenestration, waterproofing, and roofing systems
• Helped select the systems based on waterproofing, thermal, and air barrier characteristics, as well as the university’s requirements to achieve modern performance with a style that complements the traditional construction featured throughout campus
• Reviewed the building enclosure design and recommended ways to improve performance
• Developed details to integrate the various systems
• Prepared technical specifications for the building enclosure systems
• Performed hygrothermal analyses of exterior walls, as well as interior walls separating dissimilar environments, to estimate heat and moisture transport  through opaque walls systems and evaluate the potential for moisture problems
• Provided construction phase services, including reviewing contractor submittals and observing ongoing construction