Masonry Magazine December 2008 Page. 33
FLASHING AND DRAINAGE
"The lap joint is going to be six inches every time," says Bickett. "When field conditions make it difficult to enforce a consistent lap joint and consistent length of product, these panels are a big time saver."
While we hear a lot about green buildings, we often overlook the green aspects of the materials we use in the buildings. Bickett acknowledges the importance of this movement, "Our components use recycled materials. At the building's 'end of life, which hopefully would be 100 years or more, the components are recyclable: The stainless steel, the plastic and some of the other components can all be recycled."
A masonry building should last 50 to 100 years, Bickett says. "The real issue is to build it with high-quality components and systems that are not going to fail. We are involved on a building that is only three years old, where all the brick is being removed because of faulty installation or design. They built a masonry building, and now we have a lot of energy being used to remake it. There are people driving to a jobsite using gasoline and energy, and delivering materials to a jobsite. This should not have happened for another 100 years. So that is a big issue for us to build it so that it lasts, the green aspects of it remain sustainable, and it is built properly."
Speaking of green, several other companies are noting their credentials in this area. For example, Atkins of CavClear says, "The material that we use is 100 percent recycled plastic. That helps our environment by finding a use for post-consumer plastics. Our products, the CavClear masonry mats and stone mats, as well as weep vents, provide points toward LEED credits in the recycled materials category. Both mats also help with thermal efficiencies."
Regardless of the material used, picking the right flashing and drainage materials and designs is critical for long-lasting, stain-and efflorescence-free walls. Don't get stuck in the past. Look at what is available in new approaches to flashing and drainage. IMAS
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