Composite Precast Concrete Sandwich Wall Panels: Get More From Your Wall System Using Less April 01, 2021 Read More
Buildings That Breathe February 01, 2020 Barcelona’s Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) has undertaken a project examining the benefits of hydroceramic façades as a means of cooling down buildings in hot countries. Known as “breathing” buildings, the technology uses an insoluble polymer called “hydrogel,” fabric as a water channel, and ceramics. The hydrogel, it is claimed, can expand its […] Read More
Façade Stabilization: Expect the Unexpected August 01, 2019 By Stefan Nespoli, PEng Setting the Stage of Uncertainty Consider a nine-story high-rise multi-unit residential property constructed circa 1990 with a failing concrete brick façade. Due to areas of brick cracking and walls out of plumb, the owner had originally engaged a contractor to perform retrofit helical brick tie installation. For a variety of reasons—including […] Read More
AAMA Updates Standard for Liquid-Applied Flashing for Exterior Wall Openings August 01, 2019 The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) has released an updated specification establishing minimum performance requirements for liquid-applied flashing used to provide water-resistive seals around exterior wall openings in buildings that include fenestration products, such as windows and doors, as well as other through-wall penetrations. AAMA 714-19, Voluntary Specification for Liquid Applied Flashing Used to Create […] Read More
Evaluating the Adequacy of Siding Attachment July 01, 2019 By John C. Wylie, REWC, PE; and Derek A. Hodgin, RBEC, PE, CDT, CCCA Introduction There are six sides to a building that engineers, architects, and consultants must consider during the design phase of a project. A key element is the design and installation of the exterior wall cladding on four of those six sides. […] Read More
Window Receptors: Notes From the Field March 03, 2019 By Don Kilpatrick The popularity of condominium living in large metropolitan areas has engendered a well-established part of our cityscapes, with fierce competition to see who can deliver the best views, towering over adjacent buildings, boroughs, coastlines, and parks. Those with means can freely invest in housing with million-dollar views. Developers and builders, however, often […] Read More
ABBAE Reports Condo Window Crack Caused by Exterior Impact January 01, 2019 Allana Buick & Bers (ABBAE), an architectural engineering firm specializing in forensic investigation and engineering of curtainwalls, exterior façades, and other building envelope assemblies, was hired by the Millennium Tower Association to study a cracked window glass in Unit 36B of the San Francisco residential high-rise that some suspected of being caused by settling and […] Read More
