Greetings! We will be conducting our September Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "Blown Away: Unmasking the Secrets of Whole Building Airtightness Testing" Presented by Denali Jones, PE. Mark your calendars for September 10th at 12:00pm EDT. We look forward to having you attend this free webinar, register today as space is limited!
Construction Specifications Institute
CSINext Chapter
September 2025 Meeting
Meeting Date: September 10, 2025
Meeting Time: 12:00pm EDT
Meeting RSVP: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_i-hSQN98Qf6CXX5tUm4c6g
Speaker: Denali Jones, PE
Presentation:
Whole building airtightness testing has been a code compliance option in the International Energy Conservation Code and ASHRAE 90.1 for some time. That compliance option was rarely used and only became mandatory as part of a building owners’ requirements, or a specific state or jurisdictional requirement that was limited to one or two states. As we moved towards Net Zero, building codes “tightened” up and it is expected this will become a test that is mandatory on a more country wide basis. It seems that time has arrived, with many states now requiring mandatory whole building airtightness testing. As we move towards those requirements, it is important to understand the latest in test methods, current and projected code requirements, how to specify the test properly, coordination needed with the construction team and what type of pre-qualifications exists that you can rely upon.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify current building code requirements on both a national and jurisdictional level and requirements of various green building programs.
- Articulate what the test provides and how the results can be used to improve the building enclosure.
- Define the differences between all the test methods available as code or specification options.
- Review guide specification sample language and typical pitfalls in current specifications.
- Identify credentialing programs that can provide pre-qualifications of testing personnel for large buildings.
Learning Units will be provided: Yes (AIA LU/HSW)
About the Speaker:
Denali is an engineer focused on building enclosures for his entire career. After working for a manufacturer he transitioned into consulting, working for one of the leading building science firms in North America for over a decade. Denali’s work focused on finding practical and performance driven solutions to complex enclosure problems, ranging from high-rise office towers to hospitals, multifamily, manufacturing facilities, and everything in between. He has extensive experience in all aspects of enclosure design, including roofing, glazing systems, horizontal waterproofing, below grade waterproofing, air barriers, and rainscreen wall assemblies with just about any type of cladding. Denali also is an industry leading expert in whole-building air leakage testing, having helped develop several test standards and code language around testing requirements. He was instrumental in developing ABAA’s whole-building air leakage testing training program and is the lead instructor for this program. Denali now serves as the technical director for ABAA, focusing on driving the adoption and advancement of air barriers both at a committee level as well as providing support for ABAA members in answering technical questions or delivering presentations and training.