AIANY Building Science Committee Kickoff

AIA New York is thrilled to introduce you to the newly established AIANY Building Science Committee.

We invite you to register and attend the committee’s monthly meetings, which are meant to foster an environment for all professionals working in the cross-section of building science.

For this month’s meeting, we will be hosting a conversation based on the following question: How can we improve the thermal performance of existing masonry building facades?

Throughout New York, there is a large stock of uninsulated masonry buildings of various typologies, including residential, commercial, arts and culture, and educational. With global efforts to dramatically reduce carbon emissions, and considering that buildings contribute to 40 percent of global carbon emissions, leaving these structures uninsulated has become increasingly untenable. These existing envelope systems could be insulated from the interior or exterior. depending on their landmark status, zoning regulations, and occupancy type. In both cases, retrofit feasibility, the durability of materials, installation cost, and overall envelope performance, such as condensation and freeze-thaw damage, could become issues.

This meeting will address the unique challenges of improving the thermal performance of exterior masonry walls, emphasizing New York code requirements.  We will also discuss various assembly options and materials as part of the exterior envelope improvement.

Speakers:
Mark Ginsberg, FAIA, LEED AP, Partner, Curtis + Ginsberg Architects
Cheryl Saldanha, PE, Senior Project Manager, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger

About the Speakers:
Mark Ginsberg FAIA, LEED AP, is a native New Yorker and a partner of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects, with over 40 years of professional experience in planning, urban design, institutional projects, and housing projects. His expertise in housing, resiliency, and green design has been recognized through his many lectures at national and local conferences and meetings. Ginsburg has led C+GA’s efforts on developments that comprise well over 20,000 units of housing, most of which are affordable and sustainable.

Ginsburg is a past President of the AIA New York and former co-chair oNew York New Visions. He also co-chaired the Post Sandy Housing Task Force. Ginsburg is a board member of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH), where he also co-chairs the policy committee, is President of Citizen’s Housing and Planning Council, and is chair of the Zoning Committee.

Cheryl Saldanha leads SGH’s Building Science and Passive House Practices and specializes in designing and evaluating building enclosures for new construction projects and existing building enclosure renovations. Her experience includes solid masonry, rainscreen facade, curtain wall, roofing, and waterproofing systems on a range of building types. Saldanha is adept at using multiple computer software packages to simulate building systems and details for thermal, condensation, whole-building energy, and daylighting analysis. She co-chairs the New York City Chapter of the International Building Performance Simulation Association and is a member of the NYC Commercial Energy Code Technical Advisory Committee. Saldanha has authored technical papers and lectured on topics ranging from thermal bridging calculations, energy modeling, curtain wall spandrels, and condensation issues in building envelope systems. She was recently awarded Building Design + Construction magazine’s Top 40 under 40 for 2022. Fun fact about Saldanha: in June, she did completed a charity stair climb at 1 World Trade Center (104 stories!) in 32 minutes.

This event is offered virtually. You will receive an email with a Zoom link to access the program.