Rainwater Intrusion in Light-Frame Building Walls

Published Sunday, December 31, 2000

The design of light-frame buildings to resist damage from rainwater intrusion is an art guided by the know-ledge, experience, and opinions of practitioners. Confusion encountered by designers could be reduced by developing a consensus on the terms relating to rainwater management in building walls and by developing an engineering approach to the design of light-frame buildings with respect to preventing leakage-induced damage. Development of an engineering approach will require consensus on 1) means to characterize rain/ wind exposure for design purposes, 2) means to evaluate the leak resistance, moisture tolerance, and moisture dissipation potential of constructions, 3) ways to determine or estimate reasonable limit states, and 4) identification of a desirable level of “robustness” for light-frame buildings with regard to their ability to resist water-induced damage.

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