Originally published on October 23, 2019 by BNP Media through the Building Enclosure Blog. It is regarded as one of the most important federal policy mechanisms to support the growth of renewable energy in the United States. The Investment Tax Credit (ITC) was established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and has become a critical component of making on-site renewable energy systems economic for building projects. The ITC is currently a 30% federal tax credit claimed against the tax liability of….
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Six Similarities Between a Branding Process and Client Experience
Our firm has a storied history in Indianapolis and our founders set out to make a monumental impact in the city and beyond. We have an incredibly talented team continuing that vision and a culture that is fun, inclusive, and family-oriented. While we celebrate the last 50 years, we are mindful of the future of the firm. As a part of understanding and communicating who we are and why we do what we do, we set out on a re-branding….
Read MoreThe Basic Forms of Heat Transfer
Originally published on September 6, 2019 by BNP Media through the Building Enclosure Blog. Heat always flows from substances of a warmer temperature to substances of a cooler temperature. Heat (thermal energy) will be exchanged in an environment until a common temperature (equilibrium) is achieved. This equalizing of temperature in an environment is caused by a combination of three basic types of heat transfer: conduction, radiation, and convection. Conduction Conduction is the transfer of vibrating energy between adjacent molecule (Fig. 1)…..
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The Science, Rhythm, and Proportion of Nature
In a sense, mathematics is a study of quantity, pattern and structure; whereas the basis of science is empiricism. Throughout history, as humans observed something in the natural world, we would try to create our own model of how it worked or occurred. Basically, we would try to convert that which we observed into its mathematical essence. When successful, we leveraged the new math to create and engineer new things. Throughout history, human beings have studied science, and the….
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Behind the Design | Celebrating 30 Years at the Eiteljorg Museum
“This year, the Eiteljorg Museum celebrates its 30th anniversary. It was June of 1989 when Indianapolis celebrated the opening of a major new museum that has since become an icon of our city’s architectural landscape. It is fascinating to look at this building thirty years later and note how well it has stood the test of time. To create this dramatic piece of architecture, Harrison Eiteljorg took a young architect named Jonathan Hess to visit his beloved American Southwest…..
Read MoreRevisiting the Insulating Effects of Green Roofs
The Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center, which opened at the Indianapolis Zoo in May 2014 features an 8,000-square foot extensive green roof. Architect: Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf. Photograph by Daniel Overbey. Originally published on June 12, 2019 by BNP Media through the Building Enclosure Blog. One of the consequences of blogging is the peer review of the internet. I am always happy to take comments. I value the dialogue because of the learning involved and it reaffirms that what I….
Read MoreThe Moisture Threat of Infiltration to the Building Envelope
Originally published on May 1, 2019 by BNP Media through the Building Enclosure Blog. The ways in which liquid and vapor move through our building envelopes are complex, and even today not completely understood; but the fact that lots of water can (and does) move through porous building materials is a phenomenon that rules over so much of the way we build. Two major modes of moisture travel – gravity and capillary action – are related to bulk water management, which is….
Read MoreClarifying Slab-on-Grade Insulation in ASHRAE Standard 90.1
Originally published on April 8, 2019 by BNP Media through the Building Enclosure Blog. Slab-on-grade insulation. It seems like it should not be so complicated. Yet, slab-on-grade insulation can be arranged in a number of configurations, each with pros and cons. One arrangement may be more conducive to maintaining a continuous thermal barrier from a wall down through its foundation but it allows unsightly exposure along the building perimeter. Another configuration may better conceal the insulation yet it allows an….
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Take Me Out to the Ballgame…
Spring is upon us! For some, that might sound like birds chirping in the early hours of the morning, kids playing ball in the back yard, or your next-door neighbor firing up his lawn mower too early again. Spring, in my childhood home, sounded like the whirring of a washing machine and the scrubbing of gloriously grass-stained socks, shirts, and pants from my previous game (sorry Mom!). However, in the Springs to come, it seems laundry may look a little….
Read MoreIs Integrated Project Delivery Dead… or Just Reborn?
Originally published on March 19, 2019 by BNP Media through the Building Enclosure Blog. It was supposed to usher in the next generation of high-performance projects – where silos would be destroyed, building information modeling (BIM) would be harnessed, and both risk and reward would be shared across all major stakeholders. Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) has been touted for its many potential attributes. As a collaborative project delivery method, IPD utilizes the talents and insights of all project participants through all phases….
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