John Runkle, PE, is the Director of Building Sciences for Architectural Testing, Inc. (ATI) at York, Pa. He manages ATI’s greater Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia regional offices, as well as the Architectural Commissioning, Forensic Services and Field Testing operations in York, Pa. All of these offices offer architectural commissioning, consulting, QA/QC, field testing, investigative and expert witness services. He is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Civil Engineering and is a licensed professional engineer. For more information, call ATI at 717-764-7700 or visit www.archtest.com/prof_eng/bldg_enc_commissioning.aspx.
Architectural Commissioning (ARCx), a more comprehensive term for Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx), is a systematic process of ensuring that the exterior elements of a newly-constructed or renovated building provide effective environmental separation between the exterior environment and interior occupied space according to the building Owner’s Performance Requirements (OPR) for the intended use.