When projects call for an airtight building envelope, designers typically choose 40-mil-thick sheet membranes made from rubberized asphalt or synthetic rubber. The same qualities that make these membranes superior water and vapor barriers also make them highly flammable. Significant changes in the 2012 editions of the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Fire Code (IFC) require new wall assemblies containing plastic foam insulation and combustible weather barriers to pass the key standard NFPA 285. Until now designers faced a dilemma: do they specify wall assemblies containing the most energy-efficient air and vapor barriers, or do they specify wall assemblies that can pass the NFPA fire test? This course focuses on the changes in codes and standards, and on new products that bring to the building envelope the same thermal barrier technology developed by NASA and used by soldiers, firefighters and race care drivers. These highly effective air and vapor barriers combine energy efficiency and state of the art fire resistance to meet stringent new codes and provide increased safety for the life of the building.