Delaware County Fairgrounds
Phase 2, Chester, PA
Driwall™ Rainscreen 020-1
With all of the changes regarding design to structures, there are always certain aspects of design that remain the same. One of these aspects in designing a home, apartment complex, or commercial building that never changes, is that moisture management is key to the longevity of the exterior cladding. Whether the exterior cladding is wood siding, fiber-cement siding, adhered stone, natural stone, stucco, or brick, it does not matter. All of these exteriors are susceptible to moisture damage. For the wall assembly to properly perform, and the exterior to remain intact throughout its entire lifespan, there has to be a means of drainage and ventilation.
Driwall Rainscreen best provides this. These drainage and ventilation mats come in quarter, half, or three-quarters inch thick. It will essentially transform a barrier wall assembly, which allows for no drainage and ventilation, to a cavity wall assembly.
A good example of the Driwall Rainscreen being used to provide a moisture management solution would be with the Delaware Fairground Housing Phase 2 project in Chester, Pennsylvania. The exterior cladding for this particular apartment complex is manufactured stone. For an exterior such as this, proper drainage for incidental moisture penetration is crucial. When considering claddings such as manufactured stone, or stucco where mortar is used, there can be issues such as mortar bridging. This occurs when the mortar comes through the wire lath and attaches to the weather-resistant barrier. This is very common, and if this occurs, there can be no drainage, and no ventilation behind the stone.
Moisture Protection Solution: Driwall Rainscreen 020-1
Driwall Rainscreen comes with a filter fabric thermally adhered to one side, which will make sure that no mortar can come in contact with the weather-resistant barrier. The cavity provided by the Driwall Rainscreen will allow for this penetrating moisture to be collected for discharge to the exterior. Along with that, and perhaps more crucial, is the airspace that is provided by the Driwall Rainscreen. That airspace will allow air behind the stone, and therefore promote drying when the stone becomes saturated. With those two elements combined, there is an opportunity for the stone to not only be aesthetically pleasing, but also have proper durability when moisture can potentially be an issue in climates in Pennsylvania, and the Northeast.
The designer for the Delaware Fairground Housing Phase 2 decided to alleviate any potential concerns with moisture problems by using the Driwall Rainscreen 020-1.
See Projects Details