Tag Archives: building envelopes

Mould, moisture, and the building envelope

Mould growth in buildings can occur when mould spores, which are always present in buildings, are exposed to wet or humid conditions for a sufficient length of time and on an appropriate surface to support growth. Water sources can include plumbing leaks, spills, foundation seepage, roof or wall leaks, condensation on cool surfaces such as inside ductwork and on windowsills, etc. In the presence of wet or highly humid conditions, mould spores can germinate within 48 to 72 hours (about 3 days).

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Networking night for CSC Edmonton

On Thursday, November 23, the Edmonton Chapter is hosting a networking night at Metro Billiards from 5:30 to 8 p.m. MST. The Chapter is also organizing a breakfast meeting on December 14. Nick Trovato (Read Jones Christoffersen) will present on “Building Envelopes: What could possibly go wrong?”

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An end to throwaway building envelopes

When it comes to engineering its buildings, Canada has made great strides in durability and energy efficiency requirements with respect to codes and programs such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Unfortunately, despite these green leaps, it seems the basic lessons learned over the past decade or so still have not been applied to most building envelopes. In other words, we have structures designed to have service lives of 50 to 100 years, with enclosures only equipped to last for 10 to 15 years.

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