Air Barriers are an extremely important component of a high-performance building enclosure system. For the most part, these systems are non-maintainable components and repairs can typically only be made with the removal of the exterior cladding system. To ensure a performing system, proper design, detailing and ultimately the proper installation of these systems is extremely important.
The tragic fire in London, UK, raises issues with respect to claddings and continuous insulation in high performance buildings as well as retrofits. The first part of this session addresses the physics of the fire in London and why such an occurrence is unlikely in the United States and Canada.
In the roofing industry there is a difference between wind speeds and wind pressure on the roofing system. This presentation takes a look at these differences and suggests ways in which specifications can be written, and roof systems designed, to meet the local code requirements.
Continuous exterior insulation, when used correctly, can resolve multiple building performance challenges. In this presentation, we will look at two topics: condensation and effective R-values. Condensation can lead to mold or rot on building enclosure surfaces, as well as within the enclosure’s inner layers.