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Air tightness is one of the biggest challenges facing industry when it comes to building performance.

Ensuring that a whole building is well-sealed creates measurably better performance for both energy efficiency and control of the indoor environment.

Industry is now taking a pro-active approach to develop more efficient air tightness practices for existing and new buildings.

The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has introduced air tightness credit points, and the National Construction Code (NCC) will be updated in 2019 to improve current practices.

But what are the common practices and how can industry improve them?

To provide a comprehensive understanding of air tightness challenges, how to commission air tightness and the intricacies of air tightness testing the GBCA has organised a seminar.

It will provide information on air tightness requirements at an industry and project levels, as well as further clarity on the complexities of blower door testing with practical exercises.

Case study examples will discuss commercial and residential cases. The Sydney event will be held on September 6 and the Melbourne seminar will be held on September 20, 2018.

For those in project management roles who only require an industry update and general understanding of the issue, the GBCA has designed an overview session that can be booked separately.

The seminar will help attendees get ahead of the problem early and prepare their business for the upcoming regulation changes and explain how to get green star credits.

It will also help attendees understand the complexities of air tightness commissioning, testing and provide results to get better outcomes.

The course is designed for all parties involved in the development of a project to deliver air tight buildings and improve air tightness in existing buildings: property developers, architects, engineering Services, ESD Consultants, Local Government, project managers, contractor/builder, manufacturer/supplier.

Key topics include:
Air Tightness requirements and legislation developments
Air tightness and Green Star credits
Commissioning techniques to get better results on new and existing buildings
Air Tightness testing and practical examples for commercial and residential buildings
Benefits, value, and challenges of air tightness testing
From standard to best practice
Case studies
Workshop activity: the Red Pen Test

The seminar begins with an overview of the problems related to poor air tightness and why is it important for all buildings.

It will cover current NCC requirements and what is coming up and present the business case for air tight buildings and how designing for airtightness, controllable ventilation and good thermal insulation will have to become business as usual to achieve zero carbon targets.

Speakers include: Chris Nunn, Head of Sustainability, Real Estate at AMP Capital; Jeff Robinson, Sustainable Buildings Leader at Aurecon; Rory Martin, Sustainability Manager (Residential) at Frasers Property Australia; Sean Maxwell, Technical Manager at Pro Clima and many more.

A panel discussion will provide an opportunity to hear from industry representatives on their current journey to address airtightness issues and discuss with the audience what they feel the current barriers and opportunities are for the industry.

Construction techniques and common problems will be covered by John Konstantakopoulos, Managing Director of the Efficiency Matrix.

There will also be a session on Intelligent air tightness.

When designing a project with air tightness in mind, proper consideration must be given to moisture management and ventilation for optimum indoor air quality.

The presentation will discuss moisture management, ventilation and choice of materials.

It will be presented by Jesse Clarke, Building Science Manager at Pro Clima.

The seminar is supported by the Air Tightness and Testing Measurement Association and the Air Infiltration and Ventilation Association of Australia.