ABAA & BEC Colorado Half-Day Air Barrier Symposium

8:30–9:00 AM | Sign-In & Welcome

9:00–10:00 AM | Building Science Fundamentals — 1.0 LU/HSW

The concept of building science helps us understand how buildings work as systems and how the physics of heat, air, and moisture flow must be understood to design and construct high-performance buildings that are energy efficient, durable, and sustainable. This presentation will review how heat, air, and moisture function and provide insight into how we can control these flows to ensure optimal building performance.

10:00–10:15 AM | Break

10:15–11:15 AM | Building Enclosure Architectural Details: Conveying Construction Drawing Clarity — 1.0 LU/HSW

Designing airtight, watertight, and energy-efficient buildings requires an understanding of the entire building's enclosure. Incomplete architectural details and gaps in design information can lead to installation challenges and field decisions that compromise performance. This presentation will explore how drawings can better convey clarity at critical building enclosure details, including foundation-to-wall, roof-to-wall, window-to-wall, penetrations, and dissimilar material transitions.

11:15 AM–11:30 PM | Break

11:30–12:30 PM | Groundhog Day: Recurring Field Installation Issues with Air Barriers” — 1.0 LU/HSW

Proper air barrier installation is critical to building performance, but recurring field issues continue to create challenges. This presentation will explore how a robust quality assurance program—including certified contractors, trained installers, evaluated materials, and third-party audits—can help reduce risk. Real-life examples will highlight common installation issues, their causes, what to look for during site observations, and appropriate corrective actions.

12:30-1:00 PM | Lunch

1:00–2:00 PM | Airtightness Testing Goes Extreme — 1.0 LU/HSW

Building testing is as unique as each building that is constructed. This presentation explores the application of airtightness testing requirements and protocols in unusual building environments through three case studies: a dry room with an unfortunate event, a LEED building with USACE specifications, and a historic building campus renovated into living units. Each case explores how to make construction testing work and the obstacles that must be overcome.

2:00 PM | Wrap-Up