Materials + Details

Workshop

WE03 - Brick Masonry Rainscreen Facades

Speaker(s)

• 

  Bradford Prestbo, FAIA, CDT, CSI

  Director of Technical Resources
  Sasaki
• 

  Gerry Gutierrez, AIA, CDT

  Director of Technical Quality Control
  Sasaki

Rain penetration through the exterior walls can affect building performance and appearance. If not immediately addressed, water infiltration into brick masonry assemblies can corrode metal accessories such as shelf angles and ties, cause efflorescence on exterior surfaces, crack bricks and mortar joints through freeze-thaw cycles of trapped moisture, and damage interior finishes. This session will review the two primary approaches to protection from rainwater infiltration being employed in today’s rain screen designs.

Learning Objectives:

• Through an examination of various examples, participants will learn how to distinguish between the two primary types of rainscreen assemblies.
• In reviewing several assembly details and their components, participants will understand the rainscreen principle, and how it applies to conventional anchored brick veneers and cavity wall systems
• A review of current facade research and materials science will help participants understand the effects of air pressure as a primary cause of water infiltration
• Through discussion, participants will learn how to detail and specify for pressure equalization across the façade as a means of countering the normal weathering effects on building systems.