HEA provides commissioning services for the complete building enclosure with respect to the moisture, air, vapor and thermal control layers. These services encompass the subgrade waterproofing at the building’s foundation systems, the exterior walls and roof systems to form the complete building envelope.

HEA has experience commissioning the following exterior envelope systems:

• Air Barriers, Thermal Barriers, Vapor Barriers, and Moisture Barriers integral to the Exterior Envelope
• Roofing Systems with associated flashing and trims
• Below Grade and Above Grade Waterproofing System, including any slab on grade conditions with associated flashing and trims
• Fenestration Systems including Curtain Walls, Windows, Storefronts, Structural Glass Assemblies, Complex High Performance Façade Systems and Glazed Openings
• Exterior Wall Cladding Systems, inclusive of Terra Cotta Rainscreen Cladding and Aluminum Rainscreen Cladding Systems with associated insulation, support systems, and air and vapor barriers.
• Exterior Louvers
• Stone Cladding
• Sealant Joints, Expansion Joints and Control Joints related to the Exterior Envelope

Our enclosure commissioning services are modeled on the guidelines set forth by the National Institute of Building Science (NIBS) Guideline 3 in conjunction with ASTM E2813: Standard Practice for Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx).   The BECx services provided by HEA fulfill the LEED requirements for Enhanced Commissioning.

As building enclosure specialists, HEA has providing building enclosure consulting services on a variety of projects, of varying complexity and varying scales. HEA maintains the highest level of quality standards throughout the design, bidding, testing, and installation of building envelopes. Services provided by HEA ensure that the enclosure systems will resist and withstand all applicable loads including but not limited to wind, snow, ice, seismic, thermal, and solar radiation as required, resulting in a high performance enclosure system for the building. HEA assists in the development of project documents, including the preparation of sketches and specifications to ensure a complete and comprehensive building enclosure package for the project. In addition, HEA’s experience in regarding to the procurement and fabrication of materials utilized within custom envelope systems make them an invaluable resource throughout the design and construction phases to ensure that materials meet not only their performance targets, but also meet the design intent of the team.

HEA has experience in the following types of exterior envelope systems:

• Unitized Curtain Wall Systems
• Storefront Systems
• Window Walls and Ribbon Windows
• Operable Components
• Metal Panels and Cladding
• Masonry & Stone Cladding
• Terra Cotta Rainscreen Cladding
• Pre-Cast Concrete Cladding
• Suspended and Structural Glass Systems
• Steel and Glass Walls
• Double skin facades
• Cavity Walls
• Recladding Systems
• Overcladding Systems
• Historic Facades

Through a rigorous consulting process, HEA’s staff ensures that the exterior envelope is properly design, constructed, and installed, providing the owner with a high quality and high performing building envelope system.

HEA can assist the Construction Manager and/or General Contractor in the constructability and procurement for a variety of building envelope systems. These services can coincide with the preparation of the architectural documents by the Design Team, or be provided as a standalone service to the Construction Manager/General Contractor during the construction phases.

Some items which can be addressed through these services include, but are not limited to the following:

• Review and comment on project’s contract documents to review constructability, and advise CM/GC on any potential risks to the project associated with the current design.
• Assist in the identification of qualified bidders for the exterior envelope work and assist the CM/GC in the bid negotiation and award phases.
• Review contractor submittals, in conjunction with the design team, to advise on any issues as they relate to constructability, and/or adversely affect the established performance criteria for the project.
• Review and witness installation and testing of onsite and offsite mock-ups on behalf of or in conjunction with the CM/GC
• Review and assist in the remediation of deficiencies in system installation onsite.

HEA can provide peer review services to the design team for both contract document development, as well as for shop drawing and submittal reviews.

Some of the items reviewed during a peer review include, but are not limited to the following:

• Review and comment on architectural drawings and specifications to confirm system performance in regard to air/water, thermal, and structural performance.
• Provide thermal analysis of typical details and required to ensure conformance with project specifications.
• Review material selections and method of detailing to ensure project quality.
• Review and comment on completeness of documents to ensure proper bidding and procurement of wall systems.
• Review contractor submittals for conformance with project requirements.
• Review samples and mock-ups to assist in the verification of design intent and confirm material performance.