Marching Towards Mainstream: A General Contractor’s Perspective on Industry Adoption of Enclosure Commissioning and Consulting

Presentation Overview

Wednesday, MAY 6, 9:15AM-10:15AM
Lakeshore Ballroom

Over time, the adoption of Building Enclosure Consulting and Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx) continues to push further into the mainstream Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry. As with any changes that occur in the AEC Industry, evolution of practices can at times seem slow or challenging. Future states of practice can turn out different than anticipated for each of the effected stakeholders.

In this presentation, a midstream review of Building Enclosure Consulting and BECx industry adoption will be offered from the perspective of a Commercial General Contractor. Topics such as what is working well and what isn’t will be discussed. Potential lessons from the incorporation of Special Inspections & Testing (SI&T), and from Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Commissioning (MEPCx) into the industry will be offered as guideposts for the future. With consideration to prevailing AEC project delivery methods, recommendations for maximizing Building Enclosure Consulting’s and BECx’s future value proposition will be suggested.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Participants will identify parallels between the past adoption of SI&T/MEPCx and the current state of adoption of BECx
  2. Participants will recognize how project delivery methods combined with third party Enclosure Consultants can result in project-level friction points
  3. Participants will be able to compare adoption outcomes between code-driven and client-driven requirements
  4. Participants will assess shortcomings specific to current project delivery methods and how Enclosure Specialists can fill those gaps

Jon Porter, Kraus Anderson Construction

Jon Porter is the Director of Building Science at Kraus Anderson Construction. In his role at KA, Jon focuses on building performance, with particular focus on the exterior enclosure and substrates. He serves as a technical resource to project teams in relation to means and methods, constructability, building materials technology, workflow and sequencing, proper installation techniques, and testing and acceptance protocols. A licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Minnesota, Jon has 30 years of design and construction experience, including roles in forensic investigation of design and construction failures and as an owner’s representative.