Frustration with Fenestrations October 11, 2024 CURTAINWALL, STOREFRONT, AND other window systems are installed as building enclosures comprised of glass and some type of metal frame (most commonly aluminum) or wood and vinyl intended to protect the building interior from the elements. Curtainwall and storefront systems are typically designed to carry only their own weight. The exterior wall transfers wind loads […] Read More
The Future of Sustainable Building Restoration with Deep Energy Retrofits March 15, 2024 AS THE GLOBAL focus on sustainability and climate change intensifies, the United States is seeing a new trend in building restoration— deep energy retrofits. The largest contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the US, buildings account for approximately 40% of energy consumption and 75% of electricity use nationwide.1 Therefore, existing structures have been targeted […] Read More
Insurance “Wrap” Policies Are Transforming the Large-Scale Building Enclosure Forensic Evaluation Process April 01, 2020 Like many comparable firms across North America, our company, based in Oakland, CA, not only carries out building enclosure evaluations (for plaintiffs and defendants) of large-scale multifamily and multi-building residential projects, but also designs and administers post-settlement reconstruction of similar projects where our personnel played no role in the litigation process. This wide range of experience affords us the following broad perspectives that may not be as obvious to smaller, more specialized firms. More and more, we encounter construction defects litigation where the defense team elects not to carry out its own testing and sampling to evaluate the merits of the plaintiff expert’s preliminary findings. While in some cases, these decisions likely were based upon expert realization that the results of any such testing would only serve to strengthen the plaintiff’s claim, it is also clear that defense unwillingness to investigate is an unintended side effect of increasingly common “wrap” (or “wrap-up”) insurance policies. Read More
Overview of ASTM E2128 (standards Guide for Evaluating Water Leakage Of Building Walls) May 15, 2010 The authors of this article have long been strong proponents of the merits of ASTM E2128-01a, Standard Guide for Evaluating Water Leakage of Building Walls, published in January 2002 by ASTM International (see Figure 1). Jointly and separately, we have pointed a spotlight on this excellent standard in a variety of nationwide forums and industry […] Read More
Building Codes, Industry Standards, and Evaluation Reports May 15, 2010 Given the differing roles and complementary functions of building codes, industry stan dards, and product evaluation reports, it is important that construction professionals understand the appropriate applications for each. BUILDING CODES For most local and state jurisdictions across the United States, the controlling building codes are modeled upon the International Building Code (IBC) and/or the […] Read More
Electronic Leak Detection: A Quality Assurance Tool May 15, 2010 Water penetration through roofing and waterproofing systems is a common problem to many buildings. In fact, industry studies show that over 50% of newly completed buildings are delivered with water intrusion problems of the building envelope. Low-slope roofs, commonly referred to as “flat roofs,” have a disproportionate share of leaks, due mostly to the fact […] Read More
Corrosion: The Use of Metal Within Masonry Wall Systems and Associated Life-Cycle Issues May 15, 2010 ABSTRACT The industrial revolution of the late 19th century produced a dramatic change in building construction. The ability to economically manufacture steel shapes led to the development of the skeleton-frame building system. This system enabled the exterior wall to be used as a nonloadbearing component of the building. The façade could be treated as a […] Read More
Surviving Nature’s Fury: Performance of Asphalt Shingle Roofs in The Real World May 15, 2010 INTRODUCTION When Hurricanes Gustav and Ike raked the coast lines of Louisiana and Texas in 2008, researchers from the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) and the University of Florida (UF) were presented with a valuable opportunity to investigate the performance of asphalt shingle roofs in real-world storm conditions. Roof cover damage continues to […] Read More
