Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Five Key Waterproofing Focus Areas

  • 12/01/16

HGA’s Kevin Donaghey offer tips in considering the following specific areas where water can present challenges.

1. Above-grade Walls
It’s important to acknowledge that most exterior materials will take on rainwater at some point over the life of the building, and that an exit route for this water should always be accounted for in exterior wall assemblies. Rainwater should be viewed not as a passive element, but a force actively trying to penetrate the exterior barrier’s lines of defense. Analyzing exterior assemblies through this mindset can help to identify and provide adequate drainage pathways out of a rain-screen system for water that has found its way in.

2. Below-grade Systems
Ground water from surface rainfall or the water table, and its ability to infiltrate large areas of earth and into foundation systems, can be easily underestimated. Diversion of storm water run-off, extensive below-grade drain tile systems, and comprehensive membrane waterproofing at below-grade foundation walls can all serve to keep water out.

3. Roofs
Selecting a roofing system that meets the owner’s criteria for performance and budget can be a challenge, with reduced membrane thickness or warranty coverage being a tempting cost-reduction measure. We encourage the owner to err on the side of caution with roofing selection, even if it means adjusting project scope elsewhere.

4. Windows and/or Skylights
Skylights are typically more horizontally orientated than exterior wall window systems, and thus run a higher risk of water infiltration. Even with adequate slope, it is important that skylight assemblies be equipped with drainage channels, gutters and drop edges to usher rainfall onto the roof, and away from the skylight frame/roofing transition, which typically serves as the most susceptible part of the assembly. This can serve dual purposes (Example: the Language Arts and Humanities Building at East Los Angeles College features sloped skylights at a third-floor courtyard situated over occupied space, which funnel the rainwater into adjacent concrete planter boxes).

5. Doors
Doors located on exterior walls with exposure to the elements will pose increased risk of water infiltration. Drip edges, especially at the horizontal portion frame head, will divert water that would otherwise work its way inward.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.

  • Hawaii Elementary School Breaks Ground on New Classroom Building

    Kealakehe Elementary School in Kailua, Hawaii, recently began construction on a new, $16-million classroom building for its campus, according to a news release. The 13,000-square-foot building will stand two stories and connect the existing upper and lower campuses.

  • California K–12 District Finishes Renovations on Multi-Sport Stadium

    The Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) in Alameda, Calif., recently announced the completion of a renovation project on the Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School stadium, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) and Bothman Construction on the facility, and funding came from Bond Measure B.