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I admit that I am a Decorah Eagle junkie. I am hooked on watching the nest cam located in the tree near a trout farm in Iowa. I start watching when the eggs are laid in February and will continue until after the new birds fledge in June. A couple of weeks ago, one of the parent eagles was on nest duty during an over-night snow fall. Looking at the photo it was almost impossible to discern the eagle from the nest. It is impressive how in nature, animals and birds are much better equipped to handle the elements than humans are. The snow had not melted on the eagle’s back, yet the bird was warm and the eggs were protected and kept at the perfect temperature for incubation.
Over the last few years Building Envelope Commissioning has become a hot topic and an important element in Total Building Commissioning. Envelope Commissioning is a logical progression in the evolution of the energy efficient buildings. The building envelope system protects the occupants from the elements, but it is also a critical component in a building energy usage. During the building envelope commissioning process the following items are verified against the contract documents to ensure the owner’s requirements are met: solar radiation, heat loss/gain, air movement, water vapour and noise. A failure in the building envelope system could negatively affect the performance of the mechanical systems, occupant comfort, and the structure of the building. LEED has recognized the importance of envelope commissioning and it is to be incorporated into V4 which comes into effect July 2016.
If only humans were better equipped like the eagles, then Building Envelope Commissioning would not be as important.
Interested in more information on Total Building Commissioning? Please do not hesitate to contact our office!
To read more about Building Envelop Commissioning:
White paper by Scott R Armstrong and Anne Flores, Halcrow Yolles, Toronto, ON
http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.nibs.org/resource/resmgr/BEST/BEST1_006.pdf
To see/read more about the Decorah Eagles:
http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Raptor-Resource-Project/103786266324668?fref=nf