Everyone wants to avoid expensive and time-consuming air barrier repairs, so special attention to coordinating the air barrier systems on paper is paramount. However, no one person builds an entire commercial building, and miscommunication between the stakeholders can lead to missed opportunities for efficiencies or result in performance issues. Clear documentation can facilitate the coordination and leverage the unique expertise of each team member. We will highlight common oversights or omissions in design drawings, specifications, and construction of air barrier systems that may lead to issues on site, and we will discuss best practices for developing these documents to clearly show the design intent and contractors’ proposed solutions. With extensive learned knowledge from our 66 years of experience working with clients to investigate air leakage issues and provide building science consulting for the design of exterior enclosures, we provide recommended approaches for the design, coordination, and testing of air barrier products and systems that will help stakeholders avoid problems with air infiltration once the building is in service.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand common coordination pitfalls related to the design and construction of air barrier systems and how to avoid them.
2. Compare the designers’ and the installers’ responsibilities for coordinating and documenting the air barrier detailing.
3. Examine the level of detail incorporated into the design document versus the level of detail incorporated into the shop drawings and examine when formal RFIs may be warranted to address unforeseen site conditions.
4. Learn best practices for coordinating air barrier systems and leveraging the strengths of each project team member to increase quality assurance on your projects.