Building Envelope Research Symposium Attracts Sold-out Residential Construction Industry Audience to Learn Latest Research Findings

RICHMOND, B.C. – Today marks another milestone in improved building envelope construction practices as over 400 representatives of the residential construction industry attended B.C.’s first Building Envelope Research Symposium held at the Executive Airport Plaza in Richmond, B.C. 

The Building Envelope Research Symposium was developed to be an important vehicle to disseminate the results of recently completed research into how to improve the construction and renovation of building envelopes in B.C.’s coastal climate. Developed by the Homeowner Protection Office (HPO) and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in partnership with the Building Envelope Research Consortium (BERC), the Urban Development Institute (UDI) and the B.C. Building Envelope Council (BC BEC), this event highlighted how governments and industry are working together to find solutions and implement improved solutions for managing moisture in housing. 

 “On-going building science research and education is crucial to improving the quality of residential construction and restoring consumer confidence over the long-term. Establishing partnerships with the private sector and other government agencies to research emerging building envelope issues, then transfer that knowledge to those who can use it in the field, helps bring about these goals,” said Dan Maxwell, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Homeowner Protection Office. 

"Through broad consultations with industry representatives, we have developed high-quality and practical research products to assist all industry stakeholders with building envelope issues. Homeowners will also benefit from improved building envelope construction and renovation techniques resulting from this recent research," added Mark Salerno, CMHC’s Senior Consultant for Research and Technology Transfer. 

The symposium’s program reflected five key themes in building envelope research: Test Results and Applications, Quality Assurance, Envelope Repair, High-Rise Buildings and Advanced Systems. A wide range of leading professionals involved in building envelope construction and renovation from both private and government sectors spoke on topics including: designing fast drying walls, building envelope evaluation and design, earthquake testing, ventilation strategies and high-rise buildings. Attendees were also able to visit a trade show to learn about the latest in new products and services for the industry. 

Michael Audian, Managing Director, Polygon Homes Ltd., also gave the keynote luncheon address on New Generation buildings which are designed and constructed for optimum performance and durability. 

“We have come together to investigate the technical issues that surround managing moisture in housing and share new insights. This additional knowledge, once transferred to the industry, will contribute to best practices and increased quality control of building envelope construction and renovation,” said Don Hazleden, Secretary for BERC. 

Over 400 representatives including builders, developers, building envelope renovators, architects, engineers, building inspectors, industry associations, building materials suppliers, insurance professionals, construction lawyers and educational institutions attended this event from B.C. as well as other provinces and the United States. 

In 2000, the HPO and CMHC entered into an agreement to jointly fund the dissemination of results from new research studies related to building envelope renovation and construction. Since the HPO’s inception in 1998, it has committed about $500,000 in residential construction related research and education to bring about an improvement in the quality of residential construction over the long-term. Since 1996, close to $1.5 million has also been spent by CMHC on research related to building envelope repair and construction in high-rise and low-rise buildings.   

Sponsors of the Building Envelope Research Symposium included BC Housing, Marathon Warranty Corporation and Wylie Crump Limited, The Cement Association of Canada, Weyerhaeuser Canada, Dryvit Systems Canada, Tremco and Morrison Herschfield Limited. 

More information about the Building Envelope Research Symposium is available through the Homeowner Protection Office Web site at www.hpo.bc.ca, the HPO toll-free information line at 1-800-407-7757 or by calling CHMC at (604) 737-4074.