Building Enclosure Consulting
Support through design and construction to inform enclosure strategy, assembly development, detailing, material selection, and performance review.
Enclosure engineering
High-performance enclosure consulting for northern and climate-exposed buildings.
Emberline provides building enclosure consulting, wildfire risk review, and expert advisory services with a focus on durability, constructability, and climate resilience.
All work is completed at a senior level. The emphasis is on direct technical judgment, efficient review, and practical recommendations without unnecessary process or overhead.
Approach
Direct, flexible, and technically grounded.
Emberline was established to provide a more direct and efficient model for building enclosure consulting.
Emberline was established to provide a more direct and efficient model for building enclosure consulting. Rather than large teams and layered delivery structures, work is completed at a senior level to support clear technical judgment, consistent quality, and timely input at the points in the project where it matters most.
The focus is on practical, well-reasoned solutions grounded in building science fundamentals. Recommendations are intended to support the design team in making informed decisions, with emphasis on durability, simplicity, and performance under real-world conditions.
Building enclosure design is fundamentally about managing risk. Successful projects clearly understand the environmental loads acting on the building, the vulnerabilities within the enclosure system, and the continuity of the strategies used to resist those loads. Emberline’s work is grounded in this systems-based approach, with particular focus on climate hazards, including wildfire, and the performance of buildings in northern and remote environments.
Services
Focused advisory services.
Emberline provides advisory services related to building enclosure performance, durability, and climate hazard resilience.
Emberline provides advisory services related to building enclosure performance, durability, and climate hazard resilience. Services may be engaged independently or in combination, depending on project needs.
Building Enclosure Risk Review
Targeted review of enclosure design to identify performance risks related to moisture, thermal continuity, durability, and constructability.
Wildfire Risk Review
Assessment of enclosure vulnerability to ember, radiant heat, and direct flame exposure, with practical recommendations to improve resilience.
Forensic Review and Expert Advisory
Investigation and analysis of enclosure failures, technical reporting, litigation support, and independent expert review.
Team
Robin Urquhart
M.B.Sc., M.A. (NRES), P.L.Eng. (BC/YT), RSE, CWMS (NFPA)
Enclosure Engineering | Wildfire Resilience | Forensic Review
Robin Urquhart is an enclosure engineer specializing in high-performance building enclosure design, with a focus on northern climates, wildfire resilience, and climate hazard mitigation.
His work includes enclosure design, forensic investigation, and applied research, with experience across residential, commercial, and institutional projects throughout Northern Canada and Western North America.
Robin has led the development of national guidance on wildfire and climate hazard resilience in partnership with organizations including Natural Resources Canada, the National Research Council, the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, and the Canadian Home Builders’ Association. His work includes forensic investigation of major wildfire events and development and testing of wildfire-resistant assemblies.
He is licensed as a Professional Licensee (Engineering) in British Columbia and Yukon, and is a Red Seal Endorsed Carpenter and Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist (National Fire Protection Association), bringing both technical and practical perspectives to enclosure design.