Future-Proofing Buildings with Whole-Building AWBs
Designing beyond code for building resiliency and durability
Sponsored by Siplast | Presented by Benjamin Meyer and Andrea Wagner Watts
Live Webinar Airing on August 26, 2025 at 02:00 PM ET
In an era of increasingly severe storms, building resilience is paramount. This presentation explores how robust whole-building air barrier assemblies create a resilient shield against extreme environmental stresses. We will delve into designing high-performance building envelopes, integrating resilience through evolving code standards, and comparing past practices to future advancements. The session will also examine various roof and wall assemblies, supported by lab tests and real-world data. Finally, we'll cover essential quality assurance protocols, including building enclosure commissioning and whole building airtightness testing, to ensure your designs perform as intended.
Photo courtesy of Siplast
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Benjamin Meyer is the Building Enclosure Business Director with Siplast. Previous experience includes: enclosure consultant principal, technical management for enclosure products, architecture, real-estate development and construction management. He serves as a past Member of the LEED Technical Committee, Chair of the ASHRAE 90.1 Envelope Committee, and a Director of ABAA. |
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Andrea Wagner Watts is the Building Science Education Manager for GAF | Siplast Building & Roofing Science, engaging with industry professionals to provide guidance, technical support and education for roof and wall assemblies. With more than 15 years of experience in the industry, Andrea strives to improve the overall performance of the building enclosures through application innovation, product development and building science research. Andrea has published on building science, assembly interfaces, durability and resilience and holds multiple patents. She serves as an executive board member of ABAA, is the co-chair of their Technical Committee and chairs the ASTM E06 and D08 Task Groups on air barriers assemblies. |
Siplast, a leader in building enclosure systems, offers a portfolio of advanced, high-performance SBS-modified bitumen, PMMA liquid-applied, PVC KEE, lightweight insulating concrete, wall air & water barrier systems, and amenity/vegetated systems.
Originally published in Building Enclosure
Originally published in July 2025
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Recognize the difference between the minimum requirements and the performance criterion needed for resilient buildings.
- Define specification requirements for future-proof whole building air barrier materials and installation.
- Design a resilient roof assembly to meet the intensifying weather conditions.
- Recognize wall air barrier properties that are not referenced in the code but will improve the overall durability of the building.
