Hello,
IBC 1403.2 Weather protection requires that the exterior wall envelope shall be designed and constructed in such a manner as to prevent the accumulation of water within the wall assembly by providing a water-resistive barrier behind the exterior veneer (there are two exceptions to this provision).
Would this apply to the exterior wall envelope of a Pre-Engineered Steel Building? That is, would a water-resistive barrier be required directly behind the pre-engineered building's exterior metal wall panels? Are the metal panels a 'veneer'? Or are they an exterior wall covering in the broadest sense of the term?
A veneer - by definition IBC Section 1402 - is a facing attached to a wall for the purpose of providing ornamentation, protection or insulation, but not counted as adding strength to the wall. Are the steel wall panels veneers? If these panels contribute to the wall strength - by design - then a barrier would not be required? It would seem that if they were structural to some degree, that you would want to protect the wall assembly by having a barrier to prevent system degredation. For most rigid exterior wall coverings a case could be made that they provide some degree of additional structural stability (shear, diaphragm...).
It appears - to me - that a barrier would be required in the exterior wall envelope but I have never seen it done before.
Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Bill V.
Master Plans Examiner - Ohio
IBC 1403.2 Weather protection requires that the exterior wall envelope shall be designed and constructed in such a manner as to prevent the accumulation of water within the wall assembly by providing a water-resistive barrier behind the exterior veneer (there are two exceptions to this provision).
Would this apply to the exterior wall envelope of a Pre-Engineered Steel Building? That is, would a water-resistive barrier be required directly behind the pre-engineered building's exterior metal wall panels? Are the metal panels a 'veneer'? Or are they an exterior wall covering in the broadest sense of the term?
A veneer - by definition IBC Section 1402 - is a facing attached to a wall for the purpose of providing ornamentation, protection or insulation, but not counted as adding strength to the wall. Are the steel wall panels veneers? If these panels contribute to the wall strength - by design - then a barrier would not be required? It would seem that if they were structural to some degree, that you would want to protect the wall assembly by having a barrier to prevent system degredation. For most rigid exterior wall coverings a case could be made that they provide some degree of additional structural stability (shear, diaphragm...).
It appears - to me - that a barrier would be required in the exterior wall envelope but I have never seen it done before.
Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Bill V.
Master Plans Examiner - Ohio
