< PreviousPushing the Envelope Canada 11 As I write this update on a warm sum- mer day, I am grateful to have cold weather and restrictions on gath- erings firmly in the rear-view mirror and a warm and sunny summer ahead. During a cautious reopening this spring, we continued to meet virtually with several webinar pres- entations covering all things building science. It was exciting to get an opportunity to recon- nect with many of our industry partners and friends in person at the Construction Speci- fications Canada (CSC) expo in April. The Ontario Building Envelope Council (OBEC) booth gave us the opportunity to promote building science education and showcase our mission, goals, and upcoming events. Our first in-person event this year with our first ever social event was on July 13 at Brunswick Bierworks. It was a great oppor- tunity for us to catch up in person on a hot summer day with some cold drinks and great company, and to look at some exciting new products from NaturaSeal, Saint Gobain, and SRP Canada. We also had a chance to honour our undergraduate and graduate scholarship recipients: Maria Stakheiko from the University of Waterloo, Babak Malek- zadeh from George Brown College, and n n n UP FRONT Message from the President OBEC President Mila Aleksic B.Arch.Sc., M.A.Sc. Professor, Centre for Construction Engineering Technologies George Brown College BOARD OF DIRECTORS President: Mila Aleksic, B.Arch.Sc., M.A.Sc., George Brown College Past-President: Ehab Naim Ibrahim, B.Arch., MRAIC, LEED® AP, BSS®, CPHD, Gamma North America Vice-President: Daniel Aleksov, P.Eng., BSS, Leading Edge, Building Engineers Inc. Treasurer: Negar Pakzadian, B.Eng., M.Arch., M.B.Sc., BSS, CPHD, City of Pickering Board of Directors: Erica Barnes, M.A.Sc., P.Eng., CPHC, RDH Building Science Inc. Matthew Gelowitz, M.A.Sc., CPHC, LEED® AP, Synergy Partners Consulting Ltd. Paul Johannesson, Dipl.Arch.Tech., CET, Tremco Roofing & Building Maintenance Jelena Madzarevic, M.B.Sc., EllisDon Corporation Andrea Mucciarone, B.A., M.B.Sc., BSS, Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. Rob Quattrociocchi, BSS, Synergy Partners Consulting Ltd. Jimmy Tang, M.B.Sc., B.Arch.Sc., Morrison Hershfield Ltd. Kelsey Eakin from the University of Toron- to. The event was so incredibly fun and en- joyable that we decided to make this a new tradition! With September just around the corner, we will be heading into our busiest time of year. The late summer / fall schedule is jam- packed with exciting events. The upcoming OBEC Knowledge Bites session for co-op, undergraduate, and graduate students will focus on managing condensation risks in buildings. Peter Adams of Morrison Hersh- field will provide an informative presentation filled with practical examples of how con- densation risk can be controlled in the field. This September will also see our first dinner event in almost a year! Stay tuned for more announcements on upcoming events; we will make details available as soon as possible. We are also very excited to again host the Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology (CCBST) from October 27- 28, 2022. The theme of the 2022 conference is Healthy, Efficient and Resilient: Constructing Today’s Buildings for Tomorrow. The confer- ence program is full of engaging technical content, including a keynote session by Peter Halsall, as well as opportunities for social interaction and networking with industry experts. We will be providing discounted ad- missions to all OBEC members, as well as undergraduate and graduate students with the hope of encouraging the next generation of building science experts to get engaged and excited about our opportunity to change the world for the better. I hope to see you there! I want to say a few words about our brilliant and kind friend Brian Shedden. I have known Brian for six years, far shorter than many of you reading this, however, I have come to rely on Brian for advice countless times. He was someone who was always there to bounce ideas off. He was a consummate professional and a great friend to many of us.Pushing the Envelope Canada 13 The opportunity to get together in person has been a refreshing change from the lock- downs and restrictions of the past few years, and as it is a source of joy for many of you to connect and spend time together, it is also an opportunity for us to reflect on the loss of one of our own. An active member of OBEC since 1995, Brian was an enthusiastic promot- er of building science and the BSS designa- tion. His passing is an immeasurable loss to the building science community. In extending to them our heartfelt condolences, we wish Brian’s family the courage and strength to bear this loss. To honour Brian and recognize the im- pact he has had on the building science field, OBEC awarded the Beckie to Brian post- humously. The award was presented to his family at the celebration of life event in July. Thank you, Brian, for being a part of our life journey and for making such a positive im- pact on so many of us. You will be missed. I want to thank all Board members, and all committee members, who are graciously volunteering their time and energy to help us improve and expand our engagement with all of you. If you are interested in getting involved with OBEC in any shape or form, please email us at info@obec.on.ca. n n n n UP FRONT SINCE 1987, THE ONTARIO BUILDING ENVELOPE COUNCIL (OBEC) HAS BEEN BRIDGING THE GAPS AMONG THE ARCHITECTURAL, ENGINEERING, RESEARCH, MANUFACTURERS, AND CONSTRUCTION COMMUNITIES. OUR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION ADDRESSES TODAY'S CHALLENGES FACING BUILDING PERFORMANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY. ONE OF OBEC'S KEYS TO SUCCESS IS OUR DEDICATION TO BUILDING SCIENCE EDUCATION AT ALL LEVELS. LEARN MORE ONLINE AT WWW.OBEC.ON.CA OBEC Awards OBEC PRESENTS SEVERAL INDUSTRY AWARDS, INCLUDING THE BECKIE, THE RISING STAR AWARD, AND THE FELLOWSHIP AWARD. INFORMATION ON HOW TO NOMINATE YOUR COLLEAGUES AND PEERS, AS WELL AS DETAILS ON PAST RECIPIENTS, CAN ALL BE FOUND ON OBEC'S WEBSITE. WWW.OBEC.ON.CAPushing the Envelope Canada 15 All 2022 exams will be subject to COVID-19 health measures and restrictions; a special cancellation policy will apply. The Building Science Specialist Board (BSSB) is committed to conducting the exams in a safe manner by maintaining physical distancing between candidates and adhering to all public health guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. All 2022 exams will be subject to COVID-19 health measures and re- strictions, and dates are subject to change. To protect everyone from COVID-19, candidates must meet on-site health requirements, including completing a health questionnaire before being admit- ted to the exam, mandatory masking at all times, and mandatory hand sanitization upon entry into the testing room. Any candidate who notifies us in writing, up to the day of the exam, that they have been exposed to, or have tested positive for, COVID-19 will have their fee re-fund- ed; however, any candidate who does not notify and arrives at the test site dis- playing symptoms of COVID-19 will not be admitted to the test site and their regis- tration fee will not be refunded. The Building Science Specialist Board (BSSB) announced the very first recipient of the Brian Shedden Memor- ial Award this past summer. Congratula- tions Russell Richman! CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2021-2022 OBEC SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS! The three winners were awarded their scholarships during the OBEC summer social event in July, 2022. OBEC GRADUATE RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIP, 2021-2022 Congratulations to Kelsey Eakin, from the University of Toronto! OBEC UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIP, 2021-2022 Congratulations to both Babak Malek- zadeh, from George Brown College, and Maria Stakheiko, from the University of Waterloo! UPCOMING BUILDING SCIENCE SPECIALIST EXAM DATE MATERIALS EXAM & MECHANICAL SYSTEMS EXAM DATE Friday, October 14, 2022 TIME 1:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. EST n n n UP FRONT *Edmonton’s exam will run from 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. MT *Each exam is two hours; one or both exams may be written.Pushing the Envelope Canada 17 In recent years, the building industry has seen an increased focus on build- ing envelope airtightness, mostly in response to increasingly stringent build- ing energy efficiency targets, with several building codes and building certification programs incorporating requirements for whole-building air leakage testing (e.g., British Columbia Energy Step Code, To- ronto Green Standard, or Passive House); however, comparatively little attention has been paid to mitigating inter-zonal air flow. As the name suggests, inter-zonal air flow is an umbrella term for air flow between different zones within a building. Figure 1, on page 17, shows potential inter-zonal air flow pathways for a single suite in a multi- unit residential building (MURB). Proper control of inter-zonal air flow in multi-zone buildings is achieved through compartmentalization. In a compartment- alized building, all interior zones are sep- arated from one another using continuous, airtight barriers. Compartmentalization in MURBs has many benefits including health and safety (improved smoke / fire separation, reduced inter-zonal transport of pollutants / contagions, reduced pest transmission); oc- cupant comfort (reduced sound and odour Compartmentalization in Multi-Unit Residential Buildings: Why you should pay attention to inter-zonal air leakage By Cara Lozinsky, Ph.D. Candidate, and Marianne Touchie, Associate Professor, University of Toronto n n n FEATURE transmission); and energy efficiency (im- proved efficiency of ventilation systems, re- duced building energy consumption). Despite the wide range of potential bene- fits, the extent and quality of compartmental- ization in newly constructed MURBs varies widely. This article will provide a high-level review of current compartmentalization re- quirements, the feasibility, and limitations of these requirements and simple steps that designers and contractors can take to help improve compartmentalization in MURBs. CURRENT COMPARTMENTALIZATION REQUIREMENTS Current compartmentalization require- ments are a combination of prescriptive Figure 1: Typical airflow pathways in a multi-unit residential building: infiltration/exfiltration through the building envelope (blue arrows); direct suite-to-suite air transfer through floor/ceiling and/or suite-to-suite partitions (green arrows); and indirect suite-to-suite air transfer via common corridors and elevator/stairwell shafts (purple arrows).18 Fall 2022 • Ontario Building Envelope Council requirements, found within Canadian build- ing codes and performance-based targets found within optional building certification programs (e.g., LEED or Energy Star). Compartmentalization requirements within the National Building Code of Can- ada (NBCC) are found within Part 3 (for fire separation) and Part 5 (for environ- mental separation). Part 3 requirements focus on the continuity and integrity of fire separations between interior zones and include specifications for fire-rated assem- blies, fire stopping materials, and fire-rat- ed closures (such as windows, doors, and dampers). Within Part 5 (Air Leakage), the NBCC requires air barriers for assemblies that “separate interior conditioned space from exterior space, interior space from the ground, or environmentally dissimilar inter- ior spaces” [NBCC, 5.4.1.1(1)] .The NBCC specifies that all air barriers have a max- imum air permeance rating of 0.02 L/s/m2 at 75 Pa, be continuous, be structurally sound, and able to withstand in-service air pressure loads. It is not explicitly clear within the NBCC whether interior zones in MURBs are considered sufficiently “environment- ally dissimilar” to warrant an air barrier in compliance with Part 5. As a result, interior air barrier assemblies and detailing may not Based on published data, the current pre-requisite requirement specified by LEED and many other organizations is easily achievable using standard construction practices. FEATURE n n nPushing the Envelope Canada 19 be given the same attention as building en- velope air barrier detailing. Part 5 also includes requirements for acoustic separation. The NBCC specifies minimum sound transmission class ratings for different interior partition types. Like fire separations and air barriers, the NBCC also requires acoustic separations to be con- tinuous with all penetrations and interfaces sealed. While the NBCC focuses on pre- scriptive requirements, optional build- ing certification programs use perform- ance-based requirements to regulate com- partmentalization. These requirements use an unguarded, or whole-suite, blower door test to quantify air leakage through all suite boundaries, including interior and exterior partitions. Test results are reported in L/s/ m2 of suite surface area at a test pressure of 50Pa. A specific sample size is often required to prove compliance. Within Ontario, LEED’s compartmentalization targets are the most common (See table 1, page 19). Several other North American standards and organizations have perform- ance-based compartmentalization require- ments, with air leakage targets ranging from 1.20 L/s/m2 1 = to 1.52 L/s/m2.2,3,4,5 Figure 2: Suite-level air leakage rates in Canadian/US MURBs (constructed 2005 - 2020) (N = number of suites in sample; the box extents represent the first and third quartile; the middle line and “X” in each box represent the median and mean, respectively; the lower and upper error bars represent the minimum and maximum values, respectively; outliers are represented by dots above the data set maximum). LEED COMPARTMENTALIZATION LEVELS (V4) WHOLE-SUITE AIR LEAKAGE RATE AT 50PA, NORMALIZED BY SUITE SURFACE AREA (L/S/M2) Pre-Requisite1.52 Enhanced Compartmentalization1.17 Enhanced Compartmentalization (Exemplary Performance) 0.67 Table 1: Performance-Based Compartmentalization Targets.6 FEASIBILITY AND LIMITATIONS OF CURRENT REQUIREMENTS Based on published data, the current pre-requisite requirement specified by LEED and many other organizations is easily achievable using standard construc- tion practices. Figure 2, on page 19, shows blower door test results from buildings constructed between 2005 and 2020.7,8,9,10,11,12 Most suites evaluated in these studies were able to meet the 1.52 L/s/m2 threshold, with suites in concrete buildings performing slightly better. Despite the feasibility, there are major limitations to the performance-based tar- gets. These targets rely on an area-weighted, n n n FEATURENext >