BUILDING ENCLOSURE LABS INC.

A laboratory and consulting firm bringing building and sustainability science and education to the industry

SERVICES

IN-LAB TESTING

BELi has a U-Test UTCM-3722 compression testing machine and specializes in testing mortar compressive strength and modulus.

BELi has extensive expertise with measuring freeze thaw decay susceptibility of clay brick, stone, terracotta and mortar.

BELi follows international testing standards to measure hygrothermal material properties including:

Vapour Permeability (wet and dry cup)

Absorption Coefficient

Porosity

Free Water Saturation

80% RH Reference Water Content

Thermal Conductivity & Heat Capacity

Thermal Expansion Coefficient

Hygric Expansion Coefficient

BELi measures mortar granular distribution composition and colour and binder weight and composition.  We also measure material sulphate, carbonate, chloride and nitrate salt content using test strips.

BELi has experience with R&D testing services and new product development.  Contact us and tell us about your requirements.

Sustainability Science: The application of science to determine, compare, and/or improve environmental attributes. Marketing green product and service attributes is also important but vulnerable to green washing without continued scientific assessments.
FIELD TESTING

 

BELi has worked as an air barrier consultant, educator and tester on many projects with demanding air tightness targets. BELi can conduct whole building, guarded and compartmentalization air tightness test and uses theatrical fogging and thermography to detect and diagnose building envelope air leaks.

 

BELi can perform fenestration testing to measure air tightness and water tightness at a variety of specifications having tested up to 700Pa pressure difference. 

BELi conducts fenestration water tightness testing and field water spray testing using a calibrated spray rack.  BELi testing personnel have working at heights training and can perform testing on a lift.

 

BELi conducts building infrared thermography surveys and also uses pressure assisted thermography to detect and diagnose building envelope air leaks.

BELi has experience with building envelope thermal and moisture monitoring studies. Adding sensors and a datalogging system to a building envelope is the best way to determine if a given renovation or repair solution is effective in thermal, humidity and moisture control.

Sustainability Science: The application of science to determine, compare, and/or improve environmental attributes. Marketing green product and service attributes is also important but vulnerable to green washing without continued scientific assessments.
ANALYSIS

Life cycle cost and environmental analysis (One Click LCA, EC3, etc.)

BELi has used RETScreen export for high impact early-stage energy efficiency analysis. BELi has also contributed to the development of the RETScreen tool by providing a number of calculator updates

Download Case Study 1

Download Case Study 2

Thermal compliance calculations for NECB 2016 and TGS
Energy Star for existing buildings
Passive house feasibility and application modelling (PHI and PHIUS)
Hygrothermal analysis using WUFI
Calculator development and use (RETScreen Expert, in-house tools)

Sustainable Buildings: Buildings that demonstrate a significant step toward sustainability relative to what would otherwise be built and operated. Strictly using the Bruntland definition of “sustainability” for buildings is difficult because it would fail to reflect such achievements toward sustainability.
CONSULTING & SUPPORT

Building Enclosure Design Support and Reviews
Field Reviews
Product Development and Optimization
Zero Carbon applications
Environmental Product Declarations

Building Science: The application of our knowledge of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation, experimentation, and the testing of theories against the evidence to buildings. The alternative reliance upon direct experience is of great value but highly restrictive. (Hutcheon 1973)
EDUCATION

Speaking events
Publications
Webinars
Academic team-taught courses
On site and in lab training

Education: The sharing of knowledge and expertise with the intent of enabling the student. It is not pitching products and/or services along with some building science factoids – that is marketing which has a different role and place in the industry.
LEGAL, WARRANTY
& FORENSICS

Engineering letters for non-CCMC products
Forensic investigations
Forensic design and support
Expert witness testimony

Building Enclosure: A system or assembly of components that provide environmental separation between the conditioned space and the exterior environment. Note: The enclosure is a special type of environmental separator that can alternatively exist within buildings as dividers between spaces with different environmental conditions. (Joe Lstiburek Building Science Insight 25)
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