SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 30 September 2014
STP154920130061

Design Requirements for Building Envelopes to Minimize Water Runoff

With up to 80 % of all construction claims relating to the building envelope in the US and an estimated $7.5 × 109 annually to repair roofs and walls in Canada, a better understanding of the causes of these failures and a better technical knowledge base to avoid them in the future would seem to be required at the design and construction phases of the building envelope. These two issues have been addressed in this paper. Of the four barriers: vapor, air, thermal, and runoff and rain penetration control barrier (RRPCB) necessary in the building envelope, the RRPCB is the most critical barrier. While the first three have algorithms correlating their respective drivers to their respective heat, air, and Moisture (HAM) movements, the RRPCB has no overall algorithm, against which the designer can evaluate his/her design. Through field observations and a case study, an empirical equation and empirical graph are presented against which the several buildings in this paper have been checked.

Author Information

Fazio, Paul
Doctor, Centre for Zero Energy Building Studies, Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia Univ., Montreal, QC, CA
Price: $25.00
Contact Sales
Related
Reprints and Permissions
Reprints and copyright permissions can be requested through the
Copyright Clearance Center
Details
Developed by Committee: E06
Pages: 1–51
DOI: 10.1520/STP154920130061
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-7581-5
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-7535-8