Industry Expert Q&A: Brian Shedden

Brian Shedden, BSS® is a principal for Entuitive who honours the origins and past of the building envelope industry, while also embracing all its new technologies and discoveries. Read on to learn more about his career highlights and goals.

How long have you been principal with

Entuitive, and what does your firm offer that differs from other building science consultants?

BS: I have been a principal with Entuitive since 2016, but I’ve been with Entuitive since 2013. Our offerings include advanced performance analysis, and abilities to recreate buildings in a digital medium. We also provide sustainability and carbon reduction consulting, both of which are critical elements on the march to net zero. For existing buildings, we work on very focused aspects of the building envelope and address them holistically, rather than just where they seem to be having problems. For new construction, we bring the entire building science arsenal to bear as you only get one chance to build it right. We also creatively collaborate with all of the different team members, whether it be a building owner, architect, government, or municipality. We understand how those businesses operate so we can tailor our services to meet their requirements. Responsiveness is key; it’s not just when we can get around to it, it’s right now.

How did you come to specialize in building envelope?

BS: I first started my career in building materials back in 1980. I have always been drawn to things like insulation, siding, windows, doors, and roofing materials. Throughout my career, I’ve always been involved in what today we call building envelope. It wasn’t described as such back then; not until the late 1980s did we come up with the term ‘building envelope’. It’s really a business I’ve grown up in, and there’s so much to learn. It has become such a critical part of understanding our carbon footprint and energy consumption these days. I find it interesting, especially living in a cold climate country like Canada. I really think it’s a good idea to have a good parka, and that’s basically what the building envelope is. It separates the outdoor environment from the indoor environment so we can carry on with our lives.

What advice do you give when you meet someone wanting to specialize in the field?

BS: There are very limited post-secondary institutions in Canada that specialize in that field – Waterloo, Ryerson, George Brown, BCIT, and a little bit in Concordia. They’re a rare breed that come out of the engineering or architectural technology disciplines, so if they are interested, then we are interested in them. Anyone looking at getting into the building envelope business has a bright, bright future.

How do you see the role of the building envelope specialist changing in the future?

BS: With the advent of the National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (NECB) and what we’re seeing in various municipalities such as in Vancouver, Toronto, and now New York, they are beginning to regulate the performance of buildings. One of the biggest factors that has remained unregulated to date has been the building envelope and the role it should play until very recently. As we march down the path towards net zero, which is a target between 2030 to 2050, we really have to understand that the operations of our buildings represent 40 per cent of our carbon footprint. The only way we’re going to get that under control is if we really embrace what building science and building envelope can do for us to help us achieve those goals.

Is there a specific change in building envelope construction that has had a large positive impact? Or a large negative impact?

BS: On the positive impact side, I would say the move towards exterior insulation and addressing thermal bridging; these two issues are at the forefront right now. The thing that has had the worst impact is being allowed to construct all glass-clad buildings, which has no insulation in the vision field. The reality is that all-glass buildings are ridiculous almost anywhere. It’s like a terrarium in the summer; you’re going to roast. In the winter, you’re going to freeze. Throwing carbon-based heating and cooling at these buildings only contributes to increased carbon footprints.

Do you see other changes coming in envelope design or construction?

BS: Yes. In fact, they come out every day. It’s such an incredible field, with the technology that is being developed to help us better understand the building envelope, and not just for those who practice building science. Our clients are finally being able to see, in real time and with project-specific data, the differences that their choices make. Frankly, it’s hard to keep up with the rate of new systems and assemblies coming out, and it’s requiring those of us in the building science field to specialize in one aspect or another in order to keep on top of it. Things like commissioning building envelopes is a brand new thing, and that’s basically making the building prove it was built properly and that all the new assemblies and connections are working. That has never been done before. Things continue to evolve and grow at an exponential rate, and I don’t see that letting up in the near future. n

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