ASHRAE Journal - September 2014 - 50

COLUMN BUILDING SCIENCES

What if you have a building that does not have
this neat stuff? Well you can add it. And you can
typically add it in such a way as to not irritate
the historical preservationists.II Check Photo 7
and the detail that was used to make the difference (Figure 3). Reversible but critical to adding
decades to the longevity of the façade.
Ok, so we do the drips, the flashings, the end
dams, the back dams, the slopes, the kerfs, the
parapet caps as unobtrusively as possible. And
we should do it everywhere, not just in a "Joe
Rule" climate. It is a really, really good idea,
always, always. But what about the condition of
the brick or masonry?
The next place to go is to figure out the condition of your brick. We are going to focus on brick
here, but the lessons hold for other stuff. You
are going to find good brick, ok brick and crappy
brick. How can you tell? You go look at it. It will
be obvious.** The good brick you clean and be
done. The ok brick you repoint. The crappy
brick you stucco. Stucco? Yes. In the rest of the
world the way brick buildings are preserved
is by stuccoing them (we were here earlier as
well: "Face-Lift for Old Buildings," ASHRAE
Journal, September 2007). Most of the old stuff
in Europe is now stuccoed. The Romans started
it...according to folks who live in Rome. The
Greeks say they did it first and that the Romans
stole the idea. Maybe the Sumerians did it first.
Probably the Sumerians. For fun mention that
to your historical preservation consultant just
for the entertainment value alone.
One of my all-time favorite projects was an
old brick factory that was converted to seniors
housing. It had "good brick" on the street side,
"OK brick" on the side sides, and "crappy brick"
on the back side. All the drips, the flashings, the
IIOK, that is not really possible. They will be irritated. But usually within
limits that I define as "workable irritation." Plus, you can argue that it can be
reversible and you get to save the building. You can add drips to parapets. You
can take them off if you end up dealing with somebody who is an irrationally
dogmatic member of the Kool-Aid drinking, hysterical cult of preservationists who insists that what you are doing is not "authentic" enough and they
prefer that the building ages and deteriorates in an uncontrolled manner and
otherwise gets trashed and does not remain available in a reasonable condition
to future generations.
**This is called a "condition survey." Have an adult do it. Someone old. Someone
who has been around. Stuff is obvious to old adults. Have a youngster go as well.
It's how this experience thing gets passed on.

ASHRAE JOURNAL

ashrae.org

SEPTEM BER 2014

FIGURE 5 Wall Insulation Cold Climates. The spray-applied foam (closed-cell, high density) is the
water control layer (for dampness that seeps through the masonry), the air control layer (for
interior air transported moisture), the vapor control layer (for interior water molecular diffusion) and the thermal control layer. Note that this will also work in warmer climates. It works
pretty much everywhere. Further note that the subfloor and the timber decking is held back or
opened up to allow for continuity of the control layers.

FIGURE 6 Roof Insulation Cold Climates. Get a look at that parapet. Drip edge and slope to the
back side. Roof membrane over the top. Secondary membrane over the top of that. Does not
get better than this. The spray-applied foam needs to be protected with a fire-resistant layer.

ASHRAE Journal - September 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - September 2014