ABSTRACT

The paper outlines the unique challenges faced by designers to deal with building envelope performance problems in low-rise wood frame residential buildings in the coastal climate of British Columbia. The approach taken by designers has been to apply a rainscreen approach to stucco clad wall assemblies. This paper presents a step-by-step process for the recladding of a face-sealed wood framed building with rainscreen technology. The causes for the building envelope failures are reviewed as the background of this paper but the main focus is the unique challenges faced by the design team from investigation, design, tender, construction, maintenance and monitoring of building envelope rehabilitation projects. The process developed is a means of addressing the weaknesses of previous design and construction practices that led to the building envelope problems being experienced.