Category: DESIGNING EXTERIOR WALL SYSTEMS

The major impact of building codes on the design of the exterior wall is in the areas of structural strength, fire resistance, and energy efficiency. Strength requirements relate to the strength and stiffness of the wall system itself and to the adequacy of its attachments to the building frame, with special reference to wind and…

Structural Performance and Resistance to Wind and Rain For any new curtain wall design, it is advisable to build and test a full-scale section of wall to determine its resistance to infiltration of air and water and its structural performance under heavy wind loadings. There are several outdoor laboratories in North America that are equipped…

The Loadbearing Wall Until the late 19th century, nearly all large buildings were built with loadbearing exterior walls. These walls supported a substantial portion of the floor and roof loads of the building, as well as separating the indoor environment from the outdoors. In noncombustible buildings, these walls were built of brick or stone masonry.…

Most exterior wall systems require sealant joints, seams that are closed with rubberlike compounds. Systems that do not use sealants as water barriers in the face of the wall frequently use them to seal joints in the air barrier behind the face. The role of a sealant is to fill the joints between wall components, preventing…

n detailing the exterior wall for water resistance, we work from a secure theoretical base, which can be stated as follows: In order for water to penetrate a wall, three conditions must be satisfied simultaneously: 1. There must be water present at the outer face of the wall. 2. There must be an opening through…