December 2013 Monthly Meeting

When
-
Meeting Title
Open Joint Rainscreen Assemblies Design Considerations and Case Studies
Location

Aceh Community Room
Mercy Corps, 45 SW Ankeny St
Portland, OR 97204

Presenters
Claude Louvouezo, AIA
Mark Rose
Description

Recent years have seen an increased trend towards rainscreen cladding system. These systems typically consist of an exterior cladding, a drainage cavity and a back-up weather resistive barrier. Traditionally in rainscreen cladding designs, the joints in the exterior cladding are sealed to minimize the potential for water intrusion into the drainage cavity with the exceptions of weeps and pressure equalization vents which are generally sheltered from water ingress.

In the open joint rainscreen systems, the joints between the cladding elements are intentionally left open.

This presentation will discuss the implications of open joints for the performance of rainscreen systems. Various approaches to the design of open joint raDeinscreen cladding systems will be reviewed. Two construction case studies demonstrating successful and unsuccessful implementation of the open joint rainscreen concept in the field will be presented.

Claude works as a Building Envelope Specialist in the Building and Facilities Division of Morrison Hershfield in Portland. He completed post-graduate architectural studies focusing on building technology. He developed an expertise in the design, detailing and construction oversight of building envelope assemblies and has been involved with all aspects of building envelope services.

Mark Rose is Technical Lead for Building and Facilities Division of Morrison Hershfield in Portland. He is a building technologist specialized in building envelope assessment, design, rehabilitation and field review. Before coming to MH, Mark was employed as a contractor and oversaw the rehabilitation of a variety of distressed buildings resulting from water intrusion issues. He also has expertise on the investigation, assessment and conservation of historical buildings.