Building Enclosures

Building Science

Building occupants expect to be comfortable and protected from the weather. Some buildings (museums, natatoria, and hospitals, etc.) have specific indoor conditioning needs, while others may feature complex or high-performing enclosures. Poor performance can lead to condensation, mold, excessive energy use, and unpleasant temperatures. SGH applies an understanding of building systems, interior environments and regional climates, air and vapor drive, heat exchange, daylighting, and controls to solve building science challenges in new designs and existing structures. We use advanced modeling approaches that help us evaluate:

Thermal exchange | Airflow, including computational fluid dynamics | Moisture drive | Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system analysis | Energy use | Daylighting

Commissioning

As owners strive to create better functioning buildings and achieve industry certifications, demonstrating the building’s performance is an important part of the project. Commissioning provides a framework for defining and accomplishing performance-related goals through an independent third-party quality assurance process. As the building enclosure commissioning provider, SGH helps the project team by developing owner’s project requirements, reviewing the basis of design and project documents, observing and documenting construction to verify it meets the design intent, and executing or observing performance testing of mockups and completed assemblies.

Condition Assessments

Whether required by local ordinances, prompted by a planned building purchase, or conducted in response to performance issues, building enclosure assessments and due diligence surveys can inform property stakeholders about the condition of their building enclosure and help them plan for future repair or maintenance needs. SGH works with building owners and managers, project teams, and potential buyers to understand their needs and develop an assessment plan, ranging in effort from visual surveys from the ground to testing and hands-on investigations using lifts or industrial rope access. We document existing conditions, identify the cause of reported issues, help to prioritize necessary work, and assist with dispute resolution when building enclosures don’t perform as expected.

Preservation

Preserving our most treasured structures ensures that future generations can experience and study them. Preservation requires more than just understanding materials and recognizing symptoms. Through research, field observation, testing, and analysis, SGH identifies the root causes of problems to develop repair and rehabilitation plans. Our solutions balance effective treatments, historical issues, and project budgets to protect and extend the useful life of existing and historic structures. In our Applied Science & Research Center, SGH can evaluate new and existing materials to understand their composition and help us predict their performance in the field.

Facades & Glazing

A building’s facade and glazing elements can be some of its defining elements, but these systems must balance aesthetics along with performance, constructability, and cost. SGH collaborates with project teams to help them select, detail, and integrate wall and fenestration systems, and to design and detail custom systems, such as curtain walls, panelized wall systems, and structural glass. We leverage our experience investigating and rehabilitating building enclosures to develop thoughtful and creative facade and glazing solutions.

Roofing & Waterproofing

Keeping the inside of a building protected from the elements requires expertise to properly design and install the appropriate roofing and waterproofing materials. SGH applies decades of building technology and testing experience to assist with roofing and waterproofing designs, serve as designer of record, provide third-party installation inspections, and investigate performance issues. We work closely with our clients to understand their risk tolerance and budget as we develop reliable designs or solve their roofing and waterproofing problems. In our Applied Science & Research Center, SGH can evaluate new and existing roofing and waterproofing materials to understand their composition, predict their performance in the field, or determine why they failed.