Deep Dive into Rainscreens Session 7: The First Line of Defense

Deep Dive into Rainscreens Session 7 discusses the first and outermost water control layer of a rainscreen wall assembly: the cladding system.

RDH Principal and Senior Building Science Specialist, John Straube, will discuss the role of cladding as the primary water-shedding element of a wall assembly and the cladding system’s impact on long-term assembly performance. John will describe different types of cladding, explain how various cladding properties affect water penetration into the wall assembly, and discuss how the cladding system manages the loads acting on the assembly.

You will learn:
– Different types of cladding used in rainscreen wall assemblies.
– Why the cladding layer is the primary water-shedding element of a wall assembly.
– How cladding manages the loads acting on the assembly.
– Why different claddings need different levels of ventilation to perform.