Project Profile: The Sky’s the Limit: The Design and Installation of an Expansion Joint for a Luxury Urban Landmark January 03, 2015 The Sky’s the Limit: 1 6 • I n t e r f a c e J a n u a r y 2 0 1 5 project profile The Design and Installation of an Expansion Joint for a Luxury Urban Landmark Standing tall among the iconic CN Tower and Rogers Centre is a new […] Read More
President’s Message: Why Join RCI and Why Volunteer? November 02, 2014 Sidney I. Hankins, RRC, AIA President PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Some of you may remember Archie “Grandpappy” Campbell on the TV show “Hee-Haw.” He always told the story about volunteering for service in the Army. He said three of them went together—he and two MPs—and he still had splinters under his fingernails from when they dragged him […] Read More
Whair Did All This Water Come From September 02, 2014 See moisture distress on ceiling tiles or at the interior finishes of an exterior wall? That must mean the building envelope is leaking, right? Most building consultants have come across something similar at one time or another; and yes, building envelopes do leak. But what are they leaking? Water? Air? Typically, people are far more […] Read More
Fasteners and Self-Sealability of Weather-Resistive Barriers September 02, 2014 BACKGROUND The basic function of the envelope or enclosure of a building or structure is to protect the covered or otherwise conditioned interior spaces from the surrounding environment. Basic Exterior Wall Types Exterior wall types commonly associated with above-grade, commercial building enclosure design and construction in North America can generally be classified as follows: cavity […] Read More
Designed To Fail: Three Case Studies Illustrating Common Exterior Wall Practices Guaranteed To Leak May 15, 2014 ABSTRACT Moisture is the primary perpetrator in building enclosure failures; we spend an inordinate amount of time in our professional practices designing waterproofing systems, and leaks are the number-one complaint of building occupants. Yet time and again, the same poor design choices are employed to manage water in the exterior wall, resulting in uncontrolled moisture […] Read More
Solar-Driven Waves of Water Vapor Within Exterior-Wall Cavities May 15, 2014 INTRODUCTION Consider an apartment complex constructed circa 2002 in a city near San Francisco, CA, containing about 30 twostory wood-framed buildings clad with traditional three-coat exterior plaster cement (stucco; see Photo 1). Typical for many large-scale residential projects in California, the pump-applied stucco cladding system was applied to oriented strandboard (OSB) sheathing only at structural […] Read More
Examining the Building Envelope Via Rope Access May 15, 2014 Investigating sections of any tall structure can, at times, be very difficult, especially when the areas that need to be investigated are behind a tight corner or are blocked by an obscure object. Many building investigations are still conducted using conventional means of access, such as scaffolding and swing stages; however, this can be quite […] Read More
Risks of Roofing Over Concrete Decks May 15, 2014 Over the years, the construction industry has been aware of moisture issues from freshly placed concrete, as well as the ability of concrete to absorb and hold great amounts of water. Over time, this water may migrate into the roof system, saturating the insulation and cover boards, causing adhered systems to become disbonded, or increasing […] Read More
Building Envelope Science 101 Missing Paint and Escargot May 15, 2014 The property was a large, multibuilding apartment complex in central Florida, only six years old; and the owner wanted a new paint job to freshen up the buildings. It was a typical painting/sealants job to clean, prime, seal, and paint—a minimum one-primer and one-finish coat using a high-build, water-based elastomeric paint system. A consultant was […] Read More
