Conclusion
Choosing an air barrier is a balancing act between building performance, material cost, and installation expertise. One of the best ways to balance the various considerations is to install an air barrier system which achieves airtightness standards for the project and meets local requirement of different states, and has simpler QC methods.
Most air barriers work well when installed correctly, but specifiers, contractors, and owners need to weigh a variety of factors such as budget, climate, and how long the building is expected to last to choose the right one for a project. Among the other factors to consider are the project’s location, governing building codes, and testing requirements.
Evaluating a building’s airtightness is important for many reasons: to increase indoor occupancy comfort, to reduce outdoor pollutants, and to prevent moisture entering a building which can lead to mold and mildew. Airtightness also helps with noise transmission, has a big energy efficiency component, and contributes to QC.
Quality assurance (QA) programs from a variety of agencies and associations such as ABAA can help determine the best air barrier technologies, testing practices, and problem-solving methods. Each has different opinions about testing frequency and at what points those checks should occur but can be
a valuable resource to optimize the airtightness
of projects.
Notes
1 Read Joseph Lstiburek, “BSD-104: Understanding Air Barriers,” Building Science, October 24, 2006. Visit https://www.buildingscience.com/documents/digests/bsd-104-understanding-air-barriers.
2 Refer to Flock, Sarah K., CDT, AIA, and Dunlap, Andrew, AIA, CDT, LEED AP, NCARB. “Role of Air barriers in mitigating disease transition.” The Construction Specifier, January 18, 2021. Visit https://www.constructionspecifier.com/role-of-air-barriers-in-mitigating-disease-transmission.
3 Visit Schaack, Karl, RRC, PE. “Potential Issues Encountered During Installation of Air and Weather-Resistive Barriers,” International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants, May 1, 2020. Visit https://iibec.org/issues-encountered-
with-barriers.
4 Read International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), Chapter 4, C402.5 https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IECC2021P1/chapter-4-ce-commercial-energy-efficiency#IECC2021P1_CE_Ch04_SecC402.5.
5 See The Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA) codes, https://www.airbarrier.org/technical-information/whole-building-air-tightness-testing-2.
6 See The Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA) standards on testing, https://www.airbarrier.org/technical-information/abaa-standards/
#1645814857358-636b8c58-a424.
7 Read the article by Salvia, Vanessa. “Air Barriers,” Waterproof Magazine, Summer 2018. Visit https://www.airbarrier.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/WP_2018-06_Air-Barriers.pdf.
8 Refer to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) codes on Air Barriers. https://www.astm.org/e1827-11r17.html.
10 See data on air barrier installation. “Time-Motion Study of the DensElementTM Barrier System,” Home Innovation Research Labs, August 17 – 20, 2015. Visit https://studylib.net/doc/18794183/denselement%E2%84%A2-barrier-system—summary-of-time-motion-study.
Author
John Chamberlin is the senior product manager at Georgia-Pacific and is responsible for the DensElement® Barrier System and the DensDefy line of products. He has worked in the building products industry his entire career, with most of his work focusing on new product development for disruptive technologies in the building envelope space. Chamberlin is actively involved in the building industry, serving as a member of multiple committees and director for the board of the Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA) and is a frequent attendee of his local Building Enclosure Council (BEC). Chamberlin graduated from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor of science degree in marketing. He later received his MBA from Emory University.
