Too many buildings are failing - Each year throughout the country, countless Owners, building occupants, Architects, Contractors, and Property Managers struggle with their buildings due to moisture related problems, water and air leaks, mold, mechanical equipment failure, and other defects. Many, if not most, of these concerns can be traced back to problems with the building enclosure - the separation line between the outside elements and the building's interior. This includes constructed systems such as roofing, exterior cladding and veneers, air and vapor barriers, plaza decks, windows, doors, curtain walls, insulations, and foundation systems.

More recently, the proper design, detailing and construction of the building enclosure is receiving greater attention from the design and building trades, code officials, and conservation advocates such as LEED. The federal government has instituted a quantitative whole building air testing requirement for certain projects and many architects and builders are proactively or contractually obligated to retain third party enclosure consultants who review designs at the various building phases of a project. Improvements in infrared and other testing technologies and the ability to economically perform whole building air leakage testing makes verifying enclosure performance a realistic objective.

There continues to be a great need for improvement in the design, detailing, and construction environment in implementing what we know works. Many building failures we see, not to mention the ensuing costly legal battles between owners and the building industry, could have been avoided with right design and construction methods that bring a strong team focus on the building enclosure systems.