Sherlock Holmes, Cx Agent In building construction, so many issues can be hidden from plain view — sometimes literally behind brick walls — and often no one even knows they’re there, until the day they become a problem. That’s where we come in. At SES, we work with a wide range of building designs [...]
Most of what I’ve learned in this industry hasn’t come from books or the classroom. A lot of what I’ve learned has come from the field. The field is where the buildings and their systems tell you their real story, where people bring their perspectives and expertise, and where collaboration either comes together or [...]
At Sustainable Engineering Solutions (SES), we’ve built our firm around a simple idea: when you take the time to understand the real "why" behind a project, everything else falls into place. That belief is embodied in what we call The SES Way — a structured yet flexible approach to every service we offer, built [...]
Last Updated: July 15, 2025 Over the last five years, the greater Boston area has made long-term building sustainability a priority. While there is no single solution to create a sustainable community, there are several measures that can be taken to reduce the negative impact of built environments. The desire to mitigate these negative [...]
On April 28, 2025, the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) released LEED version 5. Prior to the latest version, LEED v4 was released in November 2013, with v4.1 following in April 2019. While v4.1 addressed market feedback, improved performance, and expanded LEED’s applicability, LEED v5 has now been released to tackle critical challenges [...]
There’s no one size fits all solution for selecting and sampling envelope testing specimens. Each project is a different size with differing types of windows and owners with unique needs and goals. All these variables play a factor when approaching envelope testing on a project. Specifications might outline exactly how the testing should be [...]
When performing envelope testing, whether spray testing or adhesion testing, the results are clear immediately following the test. Same-day results could trick some into thinking that the benefits of envelope testing are short-term. However, most of the benefits of building envelope testing occur in the long term, as they provide peace of mind that [...]
Building envelope testing is an important quality control measure for nearly all construction projects, but there are times when pursuing envelope testing does not make sense because it is not adding value to the project. More and more project leaders are testing their windows, roofs, and air-vapor barriers to ensure that their building is [...]
What is it, which strategy is right for you, and how does this test benefit your building? ASTM E 1186 is a testing standard for air leakage as applies to building envelopes & air barrier systems. Air leakage is the cause for many concerns related to occupant comfort and indoor air quality. It also [...]
Seeing the Invisible There are few instruments that can provide as much information in a short amount of time as the infrared camera. The IR camera offers a look at how heat energy is moving within a system by showing infrared radiation not visible to the human eye. Infrared thermography (conducted using an IR [...]
