An Evaluation Guide for Performance Assessment of Air Barrier Systems PDF

The National Building Code of Canada (NBC) requires that an "effective" air barrier system be incorporated within the building envelope. Although the NBC addresses the performance characteristics to be considered to demonstrate that an effective air barrier system has been achieved, the NBC does not prescribe any specific test protocols with acceptance criteria to verify compliance of proprietary air barrier systems. This paper outlines the developmental aspects of producing an evaluation guide for use by the Canadian Construction Materials Centre (CCMC) for the evaluation of proprietary air barrier systems. The development of the protocol and the acceptance criteria focus on the five main features of any air barrier system; specifically, an air barrier system must:
(1) have an acceptable air leakage rate,
(2) be continuous throughout the building envelope,
(3) withstand structural wind loading expected during its service life,
(4) be durable, and
(5) be buildable or reproducible in the field.

AUTHOR: William C. Brown, Bruno Di Lenardo, P.Eng., Gilles F. Poirier, P.Eng., Mark D. Lawton, P.Eng.
CITATION: Thermal Performance of the Exterior Envelopes of Buildings VII
KEYWORDS: December, Florida, 1998
YEAR: 1998