Contractors don’t know if they’ve met the design leakage criteria until the end of a project, since whole building air barrier testing can only be performed after a building is completed. By then, it is difficult to locate leak sites, and removal of completed construction is required to fix the problem.

“Building tightness is extremely important in increasing the drying potential of a wall,” said Richard Scott, AIA, vice president of LBFG. “A well-constructed building with a good air barrier helps the HVAC system pressurize the building with conditioned air, which increases its drying effectiveness. HVAC systems in warm, humid climates need to pressurize properly, and a proper, continuous air barrier is necessary to accomplish this. After all, you can’t pressurize a box with one side open.”

This factor is especially important in buildings where a great deal of air movement occurs across areas of small square footage, such as hotel guest rooms, patient rooms in hospitals, high-rise and multi-family condos and apartments, assisted living, and nursing home units.

LBFG recommends implementing processes to help achieve design leakage criteria, such as quality control steps to identify workmanship issues, or mock-ups. Other keys are ensuring that air barriers are continuous while being installed, and being ready to carry out contingency plans if design goals aren’t met.

LBFG said it found that applying these strategies on a high-rise resort in Hawaii resulted in pinpointing factors that were influencing the air barrier characteristics of the 500-plus-room complex. Testing and analysis led to implementation of a performance- and prescriptive-based program to address deficiencies and achieve acceptable air barrier performance. This reduced the risk of a moisture and mold recurrence at the resort.

For more information, visit www.libertybuilding.com.

Publication date: 2/23/2015

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