Air vapor barriers (AVBs) are critical in controlling air and moisture transport within building enclosure assemblies. Ignoring bulk water penetration, moisture-related issues experienced within the building enclosure are more commonly the result of moisture transport through air movement..
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Concrete floor slabs contain excess moisture that can damage many types of floor finishes. To address this problem, manufacturers have developed products aimed at mitigating the moisture in concrete. However, not all these products are suited to their intended purpose.
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Cracking was observed in the exterior curtain wall glass on an early-1970s mid-rise building in the Midwest. As originally constructed, the curtain wall included single-glazed 5.5-mm (7/32-in.) thick bronze-tinted glass at all floors—except the uppermost level, which featured single-glazed 9.5-mm (3/8-in.) thick clear polished plate glass.
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A 1920s neo-Classical building’s ornamental plaster ceilings were a source of wonder and pride to the office workers who passed through the corridors each day. However, one morning, cracks were noticed in the ceiling, so the corridor was roped off.
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Despite efforts at coordination during design and construction, lack of accommodation or understanding of the accumulative effect of dimensional tolerances during the installation of one or more cladding components continues to occur.
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Planning for weather, despite its unpredictability, is an important part of scheduling construction activities. Certain building materials can only be applied during specific temperature and humidity/moisture conditions.
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In winter, we become especially aware of the effects of exposure on everything around us. Cyclic wetting and drying, freezing and thawing, dramatic changes in temperature, wind, and cold all contribute to weathering and deterioration of the built environment’s elements (and, sometimes, its occupants).
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For many parts of the country, this time of year means dealing with ice and snow. A range of materials can be used to help remove these hazards with varying degrees of effectiveness.
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Once an exterior wall assembly mockup has passed performance testing—usually not without some adjustments—and the products (e.g. windows, curtain walls, and cladding panels) are released for fabrication and installation, the design/construction team faces a new challenge: ensuring modifications or improvements identified during this process are integrated into fabrication.
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