Carmen Prantil, Author at Copeland Building Envelope Consulting

Non-Profit Building Envelope Assessment

November 11, 2024November 6, 2024Carmen Prantil

Boston, Massachusetts

2023

CopelandBEC provided pro bono building envelope investigation services to assist a local non-profit organization with evaluating widespread deferred maintenance items as well as ongoing water leakage at two of the organization’s Boston facilities.

Our visual review of existing conditions revealed lack of effective water management by the flashing at the top of the brick veneer, which contributed to deterioration of exterior finishes and wood windows, as well as water leakage into the office spaces below. We also identified issues such as corrosion of the metal lintels above the windows and adjacent brick spalling.

corroded metal lintels and adjacent brick spalling

The results of this investigation demonstrate how apparently minor deferred maintenance items can compound over time and result in much larger, and costlier, problems. Check out our recent post on the benefits of proactive maintenance planning to learn more.

Breaking Down Building Envelope Myths

September 6, 2024September 5, 2024Carmen Prantil

The building envelope is the unsung hero of construction—and we’re not just saying that because we’re biased and love our field. It provides protection against the elements, plays a critical role in energy efficiency, and maintains the overall integrity of the building. It’s also usually one of the most prominent features of a building’s architecture.

There are several misconceptions related to the building envelope, however, which can lead to unnecessary headaches and costs. In this post, we’re aiming to debunk some of the more common myths we hear about building envelopes.

Celebrating Women’s Innovation and Leadership in Building Envelope Consulting

June 23, 2024July 1, 2024Carmen Prantil

June 23rd marks International Women in Engineering Day, a time to honor and celebrate the work achievements of women engineers around the globe! The day provides not only an important opportunity to raise the profile of women engineers, but also a chance to highlight some of the amazing career opportunities available. At CopelandBEC, we are proud to spotlight the contributions of women in our field, recognizing their vital roles both in the office and out.

Pioneering Women in Building Science

Historically, the engineering and construction industries have been predominantly male-dominated, with significant gender disparities in both representation and leadership roles. The tides are slowly shifting, though, with women increasing their presence and driving innovation in architecture, project management, material science, and more! Jennifer Keegan, Senior Director Building and Roofing Science at GAF, is a pioneer woman in the industry. In our efforts to inspire other women in the industry, we asked Jennifer to share a bit of her story with us.

My graduating class had 12 female civil engineers. My career started working predominantly with men, yet, I’ve seen consistent growth of women in the companies I’ve worked at, on projects I’ve been involved with, and within our industry. I’ve had the pleasure of working on several projects where the Project Manager, Architect, Enclosure Consultant and Structural Engineer were all women. Most recently, I’ve had the honor of expanding the GAF | Siplast Building and Roofing Science Team and the best man for the job consistently turned out to be a woman! This technical team is now 75% women! How did we all get here? Yes, we had to work harder to be taken seriously earlier in our careers. and yes, we had many who encouraged us along the way. Today, we hope to be the inspiration. There are more and more women in leadership positions within our industry. It is truly empowering for younger women to have female leaders to look up to. When they see people that look like them in leadership positions, they believe that they too could one day be a leader and hopefully these empowered women come charging into our industry!
Jennifer Keegan

Women at CopelandBEC: Leading the Way

At CopelandBEC, we are privileged to have several talented women on our team who bring diverse perspectives, expertise, and leadership to our projects. Whether they are conducting thermal analyses, designing building envelope repairs, performing tests in the field, mentoring team members, managing client relationships, or invoicing large-scale construction projects, their contributions are indispensable.

This is Why Facade Inspections are Essential

April 24, 2024October 3, 2024Carmen Prantil

CopelandBEC recently conducted a facade inspection at a Boston high rise hotel to assist the property management group comply with the Boston facade inspection ordinance. Sometimes these inspections are routine and confirm that everything is as it should be.

This was not one of those times.

WuXi Update – April 2024

April 17, 2024May 2, 2024Carmen Prantil

Our involvement on the WuXi Biologics Worcester project has been wrapping up. Since our last update in March 2023, the fenestration, facade cladding, and roof coping were completed.