5 Ways to Reduce Building Enclosure Failures
In today’s construction world, buildings are becoming more and more complex, adding the need for robust and effective quality assurance programs. However, for many high performance buildings, a standard QA/QC program isn’t enough to ensure the value of the owner’s investment is protected.Five ways to reduce building enclosure failures include enclosure design reviews, onsite inspections, real time reporting, resolution tracking, in situ testing, and adding tyour program with an enclosure focused
1. Enclosure Specific Design Reviews
Design and specification reviews are great tools for verifying building performance long before construction begins. Having third-party building enclosure experts review high failure rate enclosure systems can provide greater confidence heading into construction.Enclosure specific design reviews help to identify any conflicts early and avoid costly rework during construction. An enclosure expert will analyze and give recommendations on constructability and operational performance, provide real-world performance assessments of material costs, and create a record detailing the layered installation systems, including those covered up as part of construction. The systems reviewed should include:
• Air barrier system continuityIt is also advisable to review the project's mechanical systems during the design phase. HVAC systems, and their relation to the building enclosure assembly performance, can create moisture-related problems like mold and mildew in the wall and roof assemblies. Not addressing these issues early can affect human comfort during occupancy and lead to building material degradation.
• Cavity wall systems
• Roof assembly
• Fenestration
• Adequacy of the drainage plane
• Thermal insulation strategies
2. Repeated inspections during construction
Contracting a field services crew dedicated to ensuring building enclosure systems are installed correctly during the course of construction can be the difference between success and failure.Systems requiring consistent inspections throughout construction include below grade waterproofing, vapor barriers for slab systems, air and moisture membranes, wall penetrations, mockup assemblies, and window and door installation. Inspecting the installation of these critical systems during construction allows for mistakes to be rectified easily and quickly, before construction is complete. Failure to do so can produce costly rework fees and latent defect litigation.
3. Same Day Reporting
Changes during construction are almost unavoidable and can happen quickly. Waiting days for subcontractors to produce critical reports can be costly and the information may be obsolete once delivered.With the advances in mobile technology, you need a third party quality assurance firm who values your time and produces reports quickly, at the speed of construction, allowing your team to stay on top of any issues requiring immediate attention. At Blue Quality Services, our field reports are delivered immediately after our visits and outline compliance and non compliance issues, resolved issues, how long it took to resolve an issue, the progress of construction, weather conditions, contract compliance, and provide a quick snapshot of daily site work.
4. Customized issues tracking + resolution
When you’re in the thick of construction, having the most important information at your fingertips is critical. That’s why it’s important for the reports received not only be on time, but also clear, concise, and contain the data most relevant to your project goals.When issues are found during construction, an effective issues tracking report will outline the observed issue, provide a photo and a description of the issue, the date found, and the representative notified. When the issue is resolved, the report should be updated to show a photo of the resolved issue and how long it took for the issue to be resolved. These critical pieces of information allow you to improve your projects and receive compliance-based feedback on products and subcontractors.
5. Testing
Air and water spray testing of critical building systems like windows, walls, doors, and roofs – especially on mockup assemblies first – allows the installation team to identify any weaknesses and evaluate the air and water resistance of the installed unit.It’s important to note in order to obtain the most accurate testing data, the third-party testing laboratory contracted should be certified by the American Architectural Manufacturing Association (AAMA). This is important because AAMA sets strict requirements for its certified members and requires they comply with ISO 17025, the International Organization for Standardization that specifies the general requirements for testing and calibration laboratories.
AAMA certification ensures the team performing the testing is professionally trained, the equipment calibrated correctly, and that records are maintained and kept confidential. They also audit the laboratories every two years, so you can be confident in testing results coming from a firm with AAMA certification.
A Robust Quality Assurance Program
Construction projects can be complex puzzles – change orders, delays, schedule changes, and costly run-overs can happen easily. However, investing in a third-party building enclosure quality assurance firm to increase the effectiveness of your existing quality assurance program will help protect your building from enclosure related failures, keep your project schedule by reducing delays, save money by avoiding costly repairs, and increase the value of your finished building.Blue Quality Services is an AAMA Accredited Laboratory and has developed an industry-leading Building Enclosure Quality Assurance Program to improve the quality assurance process during the design and construction of buildings nationwide. For more information on how Blue Quality Services can add value to your project call us today at 877.986.BLUE.
