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Construction Technology Update No. 46

The air barrier system is an essential elementin the performance of building envelopes. Itsrole in the control of air, heat and moisturemovement across the building envelope wasidentified by the Institute for Research inConstruction (IRC) more than 30 years ago.Many performance and deteriorationproblems of building envelopes can beattributed to inadequate or failed air barriersystems. Although the importance of theair barrier system has been known fordecades, the characteristics that it musthave to perform adequately have not beenclear. Recent research has allowed for thedevelopment of a test method that enablesits performance to be evaluated.

1995 National Building Code Requirements

The National Building Code (NBC) definesthe air barrier system as an assembly of materials installed in the building envelopeto provide a continuous barrier to themovement of air. As well as beingcontinuous, the effectiveness of the air barrier system depends on its•air permeance•structural strength and rigidity•durability•buildability.In order to constitute a ‘system’ the com-ponents of the air barrier system must bejoined to each other to provide the requiredcontinuity and structural sufficiency.The NBC requirements for the air barriersystem address the control of heat, air andmoisture transfer through the buildingenvelope. Failure to achieve such controlcan have adverse effects on building enve-lope components, assemblies and equip-ment, and can lead to health and safetyrisks for occupants stemming from struc-tural damage, compromised operation of building services and life safety systems,and air quality problems.

NBC Part 9 Housing and Small Buildings

Part 9 of the NBC covers houses and small buildings. The only requirement for these buildings is that the air barrier systemprovide “an effective barrier to air exfiltrationunder differential air pressure due to stackeffect, mechanical systems and wind.”

by Bruno Di Lenardo

This Update explains the purpose and characteristics of the air barrier systemin the building envelope as defined by the National Building Code of Canada.It discusses the code requirements for these systems and explains the role of theCanadian Construction Material Centre’s evaluation criteria in determiningwhether a system meets these requirements.

A Method for EvaluatingAir Barrier Systemsand Materials

Since air leakage can be a significant heattransfer mechanism, the Model NationalEnergy Codes of Canada also have require-ments related to the air leakage of thewhole building and, indirectly, the perform-ance of the air barrier system.

2Part 9 does not contain quantitative require-ments for allowable air leakage of either anair barrier system or the materials used toform it, or for its structural capacity anddurability.Table A-9.25.1.2.B in the NBC listsmaterials with air leakage rates low enoughto act as the principal component of the air barrier system. For many buildings withinthe scope of Part 9 it is common to use a6-mil polyethylene sheet located on thewarm side of the wall as the vapour barrier.The polyethylene can also be configuredto serve as the air barrier material, as longas the required continuity and structuralsufficiency is provided by the system.However, the air barrier system does notnecessarily have to be located toward thewarm side of the assembly. If it has lowwater-vapour permeance and is located onthe cold side of the assembly, there is anincreased risk of condensation on itssurface. Under these circumstances, thelocation of the air barrier system relativeto the thermal barrier is critical. (SeeConstruction Technology Update No. 41,Low-Permeance Materials in BuildingEnvelopes).

NBC Part 5 Environmental Separation

Part 5 of the NBC covers buildings that falloutside the scope of Part 9. Specifically, itaddresses the requirements for the assemblies and components that separate dissimi-lar environments (e.g., inside and outside)in these buildings. This part of the codemore clearly characterizes an effective air barrier system:•its materials must be adequately airtight;•it must be continuous throughout the building envelope;•it must be strong enough to resist airpressure loads without undue deflectionand be designed to transfer these loads tothe building structure;•it must be sufficiently durable to performfor the design service life.Part 5 stipulates that sheet- and panel-type materials that provide the “principalresistance to air leakage” must have an airleakage rate not exceeding 0.02L/(s

•

) at75Pa pressure difference. The prescribedtest pressure of 75Pa is used to characterizea material property and is not intended torepresent typical pressures experienced bythe material

in situ

.To comply with Part 5, the structuralcapacity of the air barrier system must besufficient to resist 100% of the wind load forwhich the wall or roof structure is designed(as determined in Part4, Structural Design),and it must be supported and attached sothat this load can be transferred to thestructure. As well, deflections must notaffect the non-structural elements of thewall assembly when the air barrier systemis subjected to wind loads of 1.5 times thespecified wind load.The air barrier system must be able toresist and transfer the full wind pressure tothe building structure without damage toitself (or to other components of the wallassembly). However, the airtight material doesnot need to rely on its own strength to resistthese structural loads. It can be supported by another material, or framing, of adequatestrength and rigidity that is considered to bepart of the system. In the case of a propri-etary air barrier system (i.e., a system man-ufactured and sold by a particular firm) boththe airtight component and the structuralcomponents of the system, such as substratesand fastenings, must be identified andincluded in the evaluation of the system.Part 5 also requires that all materialsused in the building envelope, includingthose in the air barrier system, be compatiblewith adjoining materials and resistant todeterioration under the expected environ-mental loads for the intended use andgeographic location.There are no prescriptive requirementsor criteria for achieving continuity inPart5. In the case of proprietary air barriersystems, it is usually the responsibility of the proponent to demonstrate how the air barrier will bridge joints, seal penetrationsand connect to other components such aswindows, doors, walls and roofs.The committee responsible for Part 5 of the NBC recognized that, ideally, themaximum air leakage rate of the completeair barrier system (including materials andjoints) should be specified. However, at thetime the 1995 NBC was finalized, there wasinsufficient knowledge of the performanceof the air barrier system to permit this rateto be specified. Thus only a ‘material’ airleakage rate was specified, making it difficultto evaluate systems. The subsequentdevelopment of the CCMC technical guidefor the evaluation of air barrier systems

3(see below) addressed this limitation.Table A-5.4.1.2 of the NBC provides a list of recommended maximum system air leakagerates suitable for Canadian climates.

CCMC Technical Guidefor Evaluation of Air Barrier Systems

While Part 5 stipulates performancerequirements for the air barrier system,there has been no standard procedure toassess whetheran assembly of materialsmeets the NBC requirements. This meantthat when a non-standard approach to airleakage was proposed, there was no way toevaluate it.At the request of industry,

the CanadianConstruction Materials Centre (CCMC)initiated a program to gain a better under-standing of the fundamental performancerequirements of an air barrier system anddevelop a method for evaluating theeffectiveness and durability of such systems.As part of this process, CCMC determinedacceptance criteria and identified testprocedures to establish whether a propri-etary system meets the intent of the code.The work resulted in a technical guide(see box on “CCMC Evaluation Process”),which could provide the basis for a CGSBstandard.The technical guide provides requirements,methods and criteria for evaluating the per-formance of proprietary air barrier systemsfor walls of low-rise buildings (up to threestoreys high). Its technical criteria addressthe air barrier system’s air leakage test char-acteristics (in the form of a test protocol forverifying compliance to the air leakage raterequirement stipulated in Part 5 of theNBC), its structural capacity, continuity,durability and buildability.

Development of Technical Guide

In developing the technical guide, CCMCdetermined acceptable air leakage rates forvarious climatic conditions and wall config-urations. These air leakage rates wereestablished through a computer modellingprogram carried out by IRC researchers inconjunction with the Technical ResearchCenter (VTT) in Finland. Next, a testprocedure to measure the air leakage rate of air barrier systems was developed. Thistest procedure was then used to establishthe air leakage rating of a system at thestandard reference pressure of 75Pa.The model took into consideration theinterrelationships of heat transfer, airmovement, moisture diffusion and airbornemoisture transport using real weather data.It was also able to account for the impact of changes to the configuration of a buildingassembly or the properties of the buildingcomponents on the accumulation of moisture within the assembly. Interiorrelative humidities greater than 35% werenot considered (such humidity levelsconstitute “special design”). The researchers

Construction Technology Update No.46

CCMC Evaluation Process

Section 2.5, Equivalents, of the National Building Code permits the use of products, systems and methodsnot specifically mentioned in the code or the standards it references if it can be shown to the satisfaction of the authority having jurisdiction that the product, system or method meets the intent of the code. This can be problematic for proponents of innovative products since (a) it can often be difficult to determine exactlywhat the intent of the code is and (b) there are a large number of authorities having jurisdiction in Canadathat must be satisfied and they may apply different criteria.One of the services offered by IRC’s Canadian Construction Material Centre (CCMC) is the evaluation of inno-vative products to determine whether they meet the intent of the code and, if so, under what circumstancesand limitations. These evaluations constitute advice from a credible source on which local building officialscan base their decisions regarding a product,system or method without usurping the official’s authority inmaking final decisions. CCMC evaluations are widely accepted by municipal and provincial building offi-cials in all parts of Canada.CCMC evaluations are based on technical guides (evaluation guidelines) that are drawn up in consultation withexpert advisors, including staff from IRC’s Canadian Codes Centre and researchprograms. Both groups play animportant role in establishing code equivalency. These technicalguides are in effect non-consensus standards;their advantage is that they can be developed much more rapidly than is normally possible with the usual processadhered to in the developmentof consensus documents such as building codes and standards. If the innova-tive product is successful and the industry wishes to pursue a consensus standard, the CCMC technical guideis offered to the appropriate standards development organization as an initial draft.