Chicago, and Building Science
Brad Saint-Laurent, RA, LEED
Product Manager & Rain Screen Facade Specialist at Cladding Concepts
The end of October found me once again on the road, this time in Chicago for a seminar on building science. The speaker was John Straub, PhD; the event was sponsored by Dorken building envelope products. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Dr. Straub speak before, at an event hosted by the Philadelphia Building Enclosure Council back on May 17th, 2017.
There’s a lot to learn about building science, particularly if you’re not using rain screen systems. One of the more challenging aspects is the variety of materials and how they react to different insulation and air and water barriers. Since buildings often incorporate different material types, the intersections and inner workings of the wall components are critical.
At the end of the seminar I headed over to the Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor. Nicknamed “The Bean” by locals, it is a highly reflective sculpture. The first glimpse I caught of it was between the trees as I approached from the north. It so perfectly reflects the sky that it wasn’t immediately apparent that I was seeing reflections in the sculpture rather than the actual buildings that line the west side of Michigan Avenue.