A classic case study of an ongoing problem plaguing many office building facility managers across the country…..mold. Although much has been written about this subject, we still find many, if not most, of those people in the building profession have little knowledge about why buildings keep filling up with mold and less knowledge about what to do about it. In this case study we will demonstrate the steps necessary to conduct a forensic investigation regarding cause of defective building systems and review the approach, fact finding, conclusions and recommendations. In this case study we will demonstrate original poor antiquated design details and how they were implemented into a 45,000 sf office building with masonry cladding and standing seam metal roofing. The end result was a building that suffered from years of poor performance, poor indoor air quality and unhappy occupants.The study offers insight into reviewing and diagnosing existing construction including interviewing staff personnel, reviewing plans, as well as maintenance records. We will discuss the performance of brick and CMU cladding, through-wall flashing, Kraft facing and #15 felt as an air barrier and how mechanical systems come into play and interact with the building air barrier and enclosure systems.

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