Doug Horgan
Username
Doug Horgan
Proposer First Name
Doug
Proposer Email
doug@bowa.com
Proposer Last Name
Horgan
Proposer Company/Organization
BOWA Design Build Experts
Proposer Job Title
VP

Boston 2023 Areas of Focus

Proposed Session Description
Buildings we make this year in New England are likely to experience Virginia or even Atlanta summer weather in future decades, which will cause failures if we use typical details like plastic interior vapor retarders. What are these failures and their causes? How do we avoid them? A builder from the south illustrates the issues with real-world case studies, and a New England builder shows practical techniques that work now and are ready for the future.
Learning Objectives
Identify common moisture problems experienced in buildings in humid summer climates.
Explain the main principles of warm weather moisture, where it comes from, the forces that move it, and how to keep it where it causes no harm.
Compare strategies for managing vapor drive in wall assemblies.
Review wall, roof, and foundation construction materials and methods which are appropriate for both cold-humid and mixed-humid climates.
Has this session been presented before?
Yes
When and Where?
As a whole this has not been presented before; the Bogie section on proven building techniques is new. The Horgan section (DC moisture problems) has been presented: Local Washington DC AIA events; JLC Live Residential Construction Show - Providence (2019, 2023) National Home Performance Conference (Building Performance Association) (2020, 2023).
Target Audiences Level of Expertise
Level 2 - Some prior knowledge helpful.
Session Format
Collaborative problem-solving session
Session Format Details
The first half is a series of case studies the audience helps solve, participating and learning along the way, followed by a section on construction methods used by the other speaker.
Recommended Length
60-minute session
90-minute session

Strongest Content Connection - Boston 2023

Comments about your speaker roster
Doug & Ben are experienced presenters and well-known in the residential construction community. They both grew up in New England, but Doug now lives where summer destroys buildings and is trying to warn everyone back up north.
Anything else you'd like to tell us about your session proposal?
Participant quote: “Excellent...one of the best I have attended on the subject.” It has tons of great info, and the structure is a series of case studies the audience helps solve, participating and learning along the way. The topic is hard to find info about, and with the climate getting warmer and wetter, these summer moisture issues are now relevant in Vermont and other places that didn’t even have air conditioning twenty years ago.
Reviewer 1
Nielson, Christopher
Proposal #
221
Committee Decision
Rejected

Presenters

Full Description
This session was designed specifically to show New England builders how some standard practices are quite risky, in the future humid summer weather we should be planning for. We're seeing real problems on houses in the DC area, and New England will have our weather soon. This important information is directly relevant to climate adaptive construction. The recommended changes may be the most important adaptions in the northern states as our climate changes.