Building envelope consultants and designers are often called upon to redesign existing exterior wall assemblies.  As code requirements become more demanding and designers seek to push the envelope of both performance and appearance, the task of redesigning exterior walls for becomes more complex. Selecting and locating the best products for a redesigned wall assembly can be an overwhelming task for an architect already burdened with many other responsibilities. Constructability concerns add yet another level of complexity. The presenters will review a practical approach for designing building envelope exterior wall assemblies that will help avoid confusion, improve results in the built environment by reviewing how to identify common pitfalls during design. Applicable building codes and pertinent specific requirements, as well as accepted industry technical standards, will be discussed. The presenters will explain how to use this information during the design process, and will review the structured decision-making process, or “wall assembly check list”, that is used alongside project-specific criteria to create successful designs.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify building codes and industry standards that guide existing exterior wall design and form the foundation of the peer review process.
2. Select materials and identify sequencing for an appropriate air barrier and drainage plane location based on project-specific criteria.
3. Identify common constructability pitfalls associated with exterior wall components and assemblies and give examples of ways to resolve the issues.
4. Create a structured decision-making process and a customized wall assembly “check list” to select an appropriate assembly based on project-specific criteria.