The impacts of thermal bridging have long been known in the building industry. Balconies, floor/wall interfaces, shelf angles, canopies/overhangs, penetrations, and parapets have a significant impact upon energy performance, condensation resistance, building durability, and occupant comfort.
Properly designing, installing, and maintaining sealant joints will prolong the life of any structure. When exterior sealants fail, the integrity of the entire building is at risk. Yet, when selecting and specifying joint sealants for their projects, architects and specifiers are faced with a myriad of options.
This program provides an introduction to terra cotta as an architectural cladding material, its manufacturing, overview of its performance, and methods of installation & repair.
As the complexity of building geometries and façade systems grows, consultants may have reservations about the applicability of code-based methods for design. The performance of novel façade systems may be better understood through a performance-based wind design (PBWD) approach.