Drawing up Waterproof Curtains

by Thomas A. Schwartz, (M.ASCE), Sr. Assoc.; Simpson, Gumpertz and Heger, Consulting Engineers, Arlington, MA,


Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 1988, Vol. 58, Issue 3, Pg. 47-49


Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

Curtain wall damage has recently become the number one source of building owner complaints. Until wall systems are designed with backup water collection systems and other details, leakage will continue. Some of the suggestions on how to design and build watertight walls include: design sealant joints with adequate space for anticipated movement of substrates; use proven wall systems; test sealants for optimum adhesion to the actual substrates prior to construction; test the wall system with full scale mock-ups, but do not depend on mock-up testing to assure long-term field performance.

Subject Headings: Walls | Structural systems | Hydraulic design | Full-scale tests | Adhesives | Water leakage and water loss | Substrates

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