Drier by Design – Designing to Keep Water Out

In Drier by Design – Designing to Keep Water Out, you'll learn ...

• The mechanisms by which water moves into and through buildings
• How to build and create structures that can prevent potential problems caused by water before they happen
• Sources of excess moisture and what is most likely to fail
• Rules of thumb to determine where to specifically locate vapor resistant materials in roofs and walls

Overview

Credit: 5 PDH

Length: 60 pages

One thing is certain. With erosion paths cut into solid rock as substantial evidence, water in various forms contains immense power to eat away or destroy whatever is in its path. The Grand Canyon offers mute testimony to the chances of anything else withstanding its onslaught. The ability to quarry rock, using only water poured into cracks atop a cliff face, demonstrates the power and force of water expanding as it turns to ice. Steam goes wherever the slightest opening allows its pressure to be alleviated.

Whether it takes a year, two hundred or ten thousand, without intervention, water can and will destroy our human-made structures. If a problem develops that opens a pathway for intrusion, one rainy season can render a building unsuitable for human use. That is why flashing, seals, air intentional pressure differentials and other means have been developed and implemented. They are preventive measures in our battle to keep water and ice from destroying our built environments.

This course focuses on how to build and create structures that can prevent potential problems caused by water before they happen. It covers sources of excess moisture, what is most likely to fail, and conventional methods used during construction of successful structures.