Presentations + Speakers 

When Repairs Don’t Work: Forensic Evaluation of Failed Waterproofing Remediation Efforts

Speaker: Barry Taheri, Principal, California Consultants

Barry Taheri is a forensic building envelope expert and principal at California Consultants with over 30 years of experience in forensic construction investigations, building envelope and waterproofing design, and litigation support. He is a designated industry expert for the California State Licensing Board and a certified envelope consultant through DuPont. Barry has served as an expert witness in numerous cases involving systemic water intrusion and building envelope failure. His expertise spans new construction design, forensic diagnostics, and moisture intrusion testing across residential, commercial, and institutional projects. He is an active member of the Los Angeles Building Enclosure Council (BEC) and an official voting member of ASTM E06. Barry frequently presents to industry associations including the Stucco Manufacturer’s Association (SMA), and he advises clients and attorneys nationwide on issues of standard of care, building envelope design, and cost-of-repair analysis.

Flashing Fundamentals that Architects, Engineers, General Contractors and Sub-Contractors Need to Understand and Practice to Provide the Client with Reliable Weather Protection

Speaker: Chris Nelson, Senior Project Manager / Associate Vice President, Salas O’Brien

Roofing and waterproofing expert Chris Nelson is a former General Contractor, Western Construction Consultants Association (Westcon) president, and IIBEC member. Mr. Nelson has over 45 years’ experience in construction, investigation, design, and expert witness testimony (depositions / arbitrations / trials) about virtually all roof and waterproofing systems. Mr. Nelson has special expertise in flashing (transitions formed of sheet metal, membrane, sealant, etc.) for roofs, decks, walls, and windows having personally renovated flashings, and investigated numerous failures, specified corrective work, and taught others to install them correctly. Flashings are the single most likely pathways for leakage and require expertise in roofing, waterproofing, wall systems, and the flashing materials. Mr. Nelson has experience with wind damage (hurricanes), building code compliance, and complex transitions. Additionally, he has extensive experience working with other designers, clients, contractors, and manufacturers helping guide projects to success.

Peeling Back the Onion

Speaker: Nathan O. Taylor, Building Enclosure Consultant | Building Forensics, DTR ECS

Nathan Taylor, CSI, CDT, IIBEC, is an accomplished international professional with extensive architectural design and building envelope experience. He holds a Master’s degree in Architecture and Urban Planning and is highly involved in CSI. Nathan oversees the Construction Phase Service and Forensic Investigation scopes of project work at DTR Consulting Services (an ECS Limited Company). He is an advocate for spending time on construction sites and “learning by doing”. He is passionate about drawing as a form of design communication and hosts an annual Architectural-themed drawing event each October. He and his family live in northern California and enjoy spending time outdoors. He stays actively creative by drawing and writing novels in his free time.

Waterproofing Aloha: Lessons Learned During the Restoration of the Hawaii Convention Center’s 100,000sf Outdoor Plaza

Speaker: Gerson S. Bers, Sr. Principal, Vice President, Allana Buick & Bers (ABB)

Mr. Bers is named principal and leads ABB’s building sciences staff. Mr. Bers is a University of Maryland, College Park alumni in Physical Science with a focus in Geography. He is a certified ORNL-WUFI hydrothermal modeling instructor and is a frequent lecturer in building science and building enclosure. Mr. Bers is a guest lecturer at the Stanford’s Graduate School.

Mr. Bers is a recognized building enclosure expert with experience in all forms of roofing (with a special love for slate), wall cladding systems, fenestration, weather resistive barriers, and waterproofing assemblies.

Recent notable projects include building enclosure consultant for the New Stanford Hospital (Palo Alto), Apple Campus Visitor’s Center (Cupertino), Apple Retail Union Square (San Francisco), Google Caribbean (Sunnyvale) Army Museum of the Pacific (Waikiki), University of Chicago New Hospital Pavilion (Chicago), the Atlantic Building (Philadelphia) and the Getty Museum (Los Angles).

The Case of the Composite Mock-Up

Speakers: Clarissa Binkley, Principal, 4EA Building Science & José Estrada, Principal, 4EA Building Science

Clarissa is the Oice Director of 4EA’s Oakland operations and has 16 years of experience in building enclosure work. Her building science background began from the energy perspective, studying trends in building energy use and correlations with building characteristics. Clarissa’s consulting experience includes both new construction and existing building projects in climate zones across North America. She has been involved from the conceptual stage up to project close-out, providing building envelope design and design reviews, construction field reviews and in situ testing, forensic investigations, and monitoring, and building enclosure commissioning.

José has more than a decade of experience in enclosure consulting. His project portfolio varies in type and budget, including multi-million-dollar single buildings to multi-billion-dollar full block redevelopments. His experience includes projects in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Israel, and China. José is passionate about building science, unitized facade systems, and sustainability. When not working on a project, he enjoys researching global trends in the design and construction industry, writing articles on trending topics, and presenting at conferences and industry events.

When Code Compliance is a Waterproofing Disaster

Speaker: Andrew Bishop, Associate Principal and Unit Manager; Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.

Andrew Bishop leads a team of dedicated professionals who are committed to exceptional service and technical excellence. He specializes in the design, assessment, and repair of exterior envelopes, including waterproofing. His focus ranges from evaluating design ideas for new construction, to identifying the cause of failures, and designing practical solutions for rehabilitation. He has been an enclosure consultant with WJE for the past 14 years. Prior to joining WJE, Andrew was a graduate teaching fellow at the University of Oregon and began his architectural practice working with design firms ranging from 3 to 300 people, on projects from ADUs to high rises. His research and design background gave him an ability to balance aesthetic, cost, schedule, and technical concerns. He is passionate about helping design teams achieve sustainable and durable enclosure solutions.