Tag Archives: Testing

Identifying watertightness of low-slope roof membranes

Accurate assessment of the watertightness of new and existing roofs can potentially save building owners hundreds of millions of dollars annually. The challenge for roofing specifiers is choosing the most effective exterior-to-interior watertightness evaluation techniques because there is no single, straightforward method to accurately assess water ingress. It is, however, possible to obtain reliable information on the watertightness resistance and condition of an existing roof system by combining water-detection methods.

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Healthier Indoor Air: Reducing harmful emissions from building materials and consumer products

What could be more fundamental than the air we breathe? As it is invisible and a part of everyday life, people can sometimes take the quality of air for granted. Indoor air in Canadian buildings may contain hundreds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—a diverse group of chemicals emitted as a gas at room temperature that often reach higher concentrations than outdoors.

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Onsite testing of fenestration components

Design/construction professionals can minimize their difficulties with onsite, or ‘in-situ,’ testing of fenestration components by adhering to certain well-established quality control (QC) principles that can reduce the chances of costly failures. However, there is little doubt onsite testing can be a complex undertaking.

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New fenestration standards affect curtain wall framing

Adoption of the North American Fenestration Standard (NAFS) has resulted in big changes in the fenestration industry. However, does this signal changes for exterior wall materials, as well? Extruded aluminum—aluminum alloy which has been pressed through a die to create building components with unique cross-sectional shapes—is commonly used in curtain wall framing and other fenestration elements.

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