Building Better with Brick: Designing for Sustainability, Thermal Performance, and Affordability

Description

This AIA-accredited learning session explores advanced, thermally efficient solutions for supporting masonry cladding, highlighting how high-performing connection systems enable architects and engineers to meet the demanding thermal standards of Passive House, LEED®, and Green Building design.

Participants will learn:

• How traditional masonry support methods compromise energy performance due to thermal bridging.
• How structural thermal break engineered systems enhance thermal efficiency, structural reliability, and cost-effectiveness in modern façade design.
• The critical role of continuous insulation and how masonry veneer support detailing influences thermal bridging, condensation control, and overall envelope performance.
• The implications of the 2022 New York City Building Code (NYCBC) and NFPA 285 requirements for wall assembly design, compliance, and material selection.

Through comparative data and real-world examples, attendees will gain practical insight into how optimized thermal brackets, thermal ties, and shelf angles achieve superior energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness without compromising architectural intent or constructability.

Speakers

 Jeff Hung, Senior Engineer, FERO - Jeff brings over 8 years of hands-on experience in consulting structural engineering. His expertise spans a diverse range of projects, encompassing new constructions and renovations involving structural steel, reinforced concrete, and masonry buildings. He holds a Master of Science in Structural Engineering, with his research focused on masonry design.

 Michael Ross, Senior Engineer, FERO - Michael oversees the design of effective and innovative structural and architectural solutions for a variety of projects. He has an MSc in Structural Engineering, specializing in concrete masonry, and has over 10 years of experience in the field of structural consulting. Michael focuses on taking a pragmatic, value-add approach to engineering. The combination of his education and consulting roles enables him to understand the needs of engineers working with our products and how to help them achieve their design goals.

 Lisette Wong, Associate Principal, Think! Architecture + Design
Lisette Wong, Int’l Assoc. AIA, ARB, is an Associate Principal at Think! Architecture + Design PLLC, where she focuses on climate action through energy-efficient building technologies and the design of affordable and supportive housing. She is a Phius Certified Passive House Consultant and LEED AP BD+C professional.

Lisette holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University and is a licensed architect in the United Kingdom. Her work emphasizes the creation of urban ecologies that integrate the built and natural environments, fostering social gathering spaces and verdant, interactive landscapes that encourages art and culture, nurtures community well-being and all people in society.
Extending these values into a more pastoral context, Lisette is the co-founder of Merge Stone Ridge, an alternative art space in Upstate New York housed within a compound of restored historic barns.

• AIA Credits: 1 LU - Approved
• PHI Credits: 1 LU - TBD
• PHIUS Credits: 1 LU - TBD