As we like to say, “leaks occur at the intersection of contracts.” In other words, the cause for most defects that lead to water intrusion is a lack of proactive quality assurance by professionals that understand the myriad codes, standards, and manufacturer recommendations required for a proper building envelope.
What is the Building Envelope?
The building envelope consists of the materials on a structure that provide protection from weather and the elements. It includes the roof, exterior cladding, water-resistive membranes, air barrier, flashings, windows, doors, below-grade waterproofing, and other materials that are designed to keep water and moisture outside the building, protecting occupants and interior finishes.
How best to prevent water intrusion?
While admittedly easier said than done, the best way to ensure that your building remains leak-free is to first make sure that the envelope design is proper for the building’s intended use, and then once construction is underway, perform functional testing. That means applying water in a controlled process to see if any breaches in the building envelope occur so that any issues can be corrected before problems get covered up.
Below is a short video that gives an introduction to our Building Envelope Consulting services, as well as a sneak peek into the fascinating and highly technical world of water penetration testing.
To learn more about VERTEX’s Building Envelope Consulting services or to speak with a Building Envelope Expert, call 888.298.5162 or submit an inquiry.
This article was originally published by Xpera Group which is now part of The Vertex Companies, LLC.
