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Building Enclosure Consulting is the foundation of RDH’s practice. Our work focuses on managing heat, air, and moisture across the building enclosure—the layer that defines how buildings look, feel, and perform. We help design teams transform architectural ideas into resilient, high-performing enclosures that meet energy goals, mitigate risk, and respond to the realities of climate and construction.

From mass timber towers to heritage retrofits, we support every project type and phase—whether we’re sketching early details, testing full-scale mockups, or reviewing installation in the field. Because enclosures touch every system, we integrate insights from across disciplines—facade engineering, structural detailing, energy modeling, and carbon analysis—to deliver solutions that work, from paper to project completion.

 

The RDH Difference

Our approach starts with building science and ends with performance in the real world. We navigate the messiness of construction—tight timelines, shifting materials, site constraints—while holding the line on quality and intent.

We think across silos. Our in-house specialists in forensics, monitoring, hygrothermal analysis, and thermal bridging bring a deep understanding of how systems succeed—or fail—over time. By combining technical precision with hands-on experience, we help teams make confident decisions, avoid costly errors, and build smarter.

Whether your priority is durability, decarbonization, constructability, or cost, we align our work to support it.

 

How Our Values Shape Client Outcomes

  • Design-Led, Performance-Informed: We don’t see performance and design as competing goals. Our detailing, sequencing, and material strategies protect the design intent and deliver long-term resilience.
  • Informed by the Field: Our advice isn’t theoretical—it’s built on lessons from the job site, the testing lab, and decades of forensic investigations. We know where systems break down, and how to prevent it.
  • Integrated Thinking: Building enclosures are the intersection point of multiple disciplines. Our solutions draw on structural, energy, and facade expertise to resolve issues holistically, not in isolation.
  • Clear Communication: We help teams stay ahead of issues. Our visual tools, practical documentation, and clear guidance reduce miscommunication and streamline coordination—before construction begins.

 

Tools That Support Smarter Project Delivery

  • Glass Design Matrix – Compares glazing options for energy performance, constructability, and cost at a glance.
  • Embodied Carbon Tool – Developed with Toronto Metropolitan University and The Atmospheric Fund to guide early, low-carbon material choices. Open-source and designed for transparency.
  • 3D Renderings and Installation Illustrations – Produced in-house to visualize sequencing and avoid trade conflicts.

These tools, along with field testing, full-scale mockups, hygrothermal modeling, and thermal bridging analysis, are fully integrated into our enclosure consulting practice.

Project Spotlight

The Butterfly | Vancouver, BC
A sculpted high-rise featuring a double-radiused curtain wall and triple-radiused insulated precast sandwich panels, supported by RDH across facade design consulting, CFD-informed condensation analysis for a fully glazed Olympic-length pool enclosure, and construction-phase field review.
Google Borregas | Sunnyvale, CA
Mass timber construction and a prefabricated double-skin unitized curtain wall define this office building's enclosure, where RDH supported design of geometrical transitions between angled balconies, roofs, and glazing systems through detailed design and construction-phase field review.
25 St. Clair Avenue East Rehabilitation | Toronto, ON
Building enclosure commissioning and energy performance consulting services for the deep green rehabilitation of a federal office tower in Toronto, featuring a high-performance terracotta rainscreen enclosure, triple-glazed glazing systems, airtightness testing, and low-carbon design strategies targeting an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Technical Expertise. Real-World Impact.

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