Today, Joel Schlesinger wrote a piece for the Globe and Mail titled “Pushing the envelope to make buildings greener” and he interviews the most experienced large building testers in Canada; Kevin Knight and Gary Proskiw.
We know reducing air leakage in buildings is important for durability, health, energy savings and comfort – but when will it be mandatory in Canada? “Retrofitting old buildings and making new buildings more air tight, can have significant mitigating impact on climate change.” says Mr. Knight.
Veteran building scientist and engineer Mr. Proskiw goes on to say air leakage though a building envelope carries great liability, “When you have air moving through a building envelope, it takes with it moisture – basically the root of all evil for buildings,” Mr. Proskiw says. “But it’s not just water; it’s water freezing in the walls in the winter… You end up with a situation where you have a 1,000-pound piece of the wall held together by steel connectors that are rusting apart, and at some point they let go.”
“Mr. Proskiw says. “We figure there’s probably a few hundred million dollars of damage just here in Manitoba.” Winnipeg alone has several high-profile examples of buildings with outer shells that are at risk of shedding slabs from high above: the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the RBC Convention Centre and even its Public Safety Building (the soon-to-be decommissioned old police headquarters).”
Stunning to see such a scientifically well written, topical piece in the Globe and Mail.