Weissbach of Israel Berger & Associates, LLC: Pushing the envelope - inside and out

Marc Weissbach, AIA, began his career in 1987 as a part-time technician in a curtain wall testing laboratory while attending college. A professor sensed Weissbach's keen interest in the technical aspects of construction and recommended that he consider gaining "real life experience" aside from solely studying in school. This same professor introduced Weissbach to Israel Berger, then president of Testwell Craig Berger, with whom Weissbach joined part-time as an inspector and began performing monitoring of full size test mock-ups and shop fabrication, on some of the largest curtain walls being built at that time. Upon graduating Cum Laude from the University of Miami, School of Architecture, Weissbach joined Berger full-time and proceeded to work on Canary Wharf in London, England, one of the largest office developments under construction. In 1994, Berger separated from the Testwell group, establishing Israel Berger & Associates (IBA) and Weissbach became the first partner in 1998. With the vision to grow a niche consulting firm into a household name, in 2006, Weissbach led a recapitalization of the firm bringing in a private equity company, expanding the number of partners to eight, and assuming the role of chief operating officer. Today, the firm has a staff of over 60 employees and performs its work on some of the largest and most prestigious projects throughout the world. IBA is an internationally renowned consulting and inspection group specializing in building façades, energy efficiency, roofing, waterproofing, restoration and non-destructive testing technologies. The firm provides services at all stages of design and construction, from conception through completion for projects worldwide. In addition, IBA conducts investigations, evaluations and restoration of existing buildings. In New York City, the firm also performs on-site Special Inspection and Façade Inspection and Safety Program (Formerly Local Law 11/98) services required by law. IBA became one of the first independent special inspection agencies in the city to be accredited by the International Accreditation Service (IAC) and qualified to perform special inspection services. IBA is an active member of several professional organizations. Weissbach has been instrumental in helping IBA weather the cyclicality of the construction market due in part to the strength of the firm's diversity within a niche professional services market, and strong relationships with clients in addition to its matchless expertise developed within the marketplace. "We are proud that over 80% of our projects are for repeat clients," said Weissbach. IBA's office culture is family oriented with high employee retention which is a direct result of its excellent leadership team. In addition to overseeing the strategies, financial and operational aspects of IBA, Weissbach manages technical teams, while working closely with project managers and principals to ensure the successful outcome for projects. Weissbach is an expert, specializing in building envelope system design and construction. "The building envelope can be 20% of the project's total cost, and it is one of the most important elements of the building," said Weissbach. He has seen the demand for exterior curtain wall consultants continue to grow with the rise in innovative, complex, environmentally conscious building designs. As new sustainable materials are constantly being brought into the marketplace and advanced technologies and techniques are implemented and vetted across the industry by firms like IBA. The idea of sustainability is shifting from a social and economic trend towards a way of life, thereby requiring experts like IBA to integrate the external building façade to the internal building systems. As a visionary and the principal in charge of IBA's new Energy & Building Sciences division, Weissbach is able to see one of the firm's goals come to fruition. He has formed the division along with John Hannum, P.E., LEED AP, vice president, as a holistic approach to eliminate gaps in understanding, communication, and execution of increasingly complex building systems within a fragmented market of specialty consulting services. This division provides consulting services at every phase of the building's design and construction process for all building types, proposed, new and existing. Energy & Building Sciences performs design consultation, assessment, benchmarking, auditing, monitoring and verification, as well as non-destructive testing of building components and systems to confirm anticipated efficiencies and code compliance. Weissbach said, "We want to maintain the very high level of expertise our clients rely upon from IBA in building envelope technologies, only now we will address other, related building systems which impact, and are impacted by the building envelope. We recognize the need to be socially responsible for the efficiency of buildings we work on, but want to emphasize that the economic benefit and return on investment is so compelling that we believe everyone should and will embrace energy efficiency." Weissbach has experience working with LEED-certified projects including 7 World Trade Center and The Helena, and has an extensive portfolio of projects in all market sectors. He is currently working on The Freedom Tower (Tower One) at the World Trade Center as well as WTC Tower 4 and The National September 11th Museum and Memorial. In addition, Weissbach has served to resolve construction disputes being qualified as an expert witness for several cases at the local, state and federal levels. More importantly, he is called upon by code writing councils and industry associations to provide education, input and offer technical training. Weissbach resides in Long Island with his wife, Shari, two daughters, and two dogs. If you can't find him at the office then he's usually coaching his daughter's soccer team, skiing or boating.çade damage at 9/11 incident.