Rain Screen Wall Assemblies

The “leaky condo crisis” resulted from extended periods when the rate of moisture entry into building envelopes exceeded the rate of moisture removal.

Leakage from wind and rain due to poor transitional detailing on the exterior of the buildings contributed to increased levels of moisture in the wall assembly. Condensation triggered by the high relative humidity within the wall assemblies made an already bad situation worse. Unable to dry out, wall assemblies began to rot, in turn triggering huge remediation costs within in the BC residential and commercial building sector.

Part of the solution was rain screen wall technology, which increases the rate of moisture removal within a wall by introducing a continuous air space located on the exterior side of the building wrap and on the interior side of the wall cladding.

Another key part of the solution is reducing the rate of moisture entry into walls through a better understanding of transitional detailing design and execution.

Be aware: Even though rain screen technology is common practice today and our understanding of transitional detail designs has improved, the risk of poorly designed and executed transitional details still exists, especially in the residential sector.

We have decades of experience and pride our selves on designs and installations that protect buildings from the harsh elements of our climate.

Westcoast Roofing System has been an industry leader in rain screen technology and transitional waterproof detailing.