Understanding Rainscreen Design

The perfect wall design to defend against the elements of Mother Nature
By Tom Diamond, P.E.

Protecting your facility’s assets • Air infiltration protecting the wall assembly against
begins with the building envelope; after • Vapor transmission the majority of rain, it also protects
all it is the first line of defense against against negative wind pressures and
the wrath of Mother Nature. It is almost inevitable that, at some ultra-violet radiation.
From the roof down to the founda- point, moisture will bypass the exterior When considering more economical
tion, and everything in between, na- cladding of a wall assembly. options, the wall panel system should
ture’s elements attempt to force their A rainscreen system is designed to be comprised of a Galvalume® or G-90
way into a structure, the largest part of allow the remaining components of galvanized coated steel, or high-quality
which are the walls. the wall assembly to effectively man- aluminum with a fluorocarbon paint
Incorporating a properly designed, age this moisture, along with the other finish, such as Kynar®.
high-performance wall system is not elements, to provide a long-lasting, For a more premium design, corro-
only critical to protecting your invest- energy efficient, high-performance wall sion resistant metal materials such as
ment, but also allowing your facility to system. zinc, copper or stainless steel provide
perform at optimum levels. for a highly attractive, longer-lasting
A rainscreen wall system is the cladding system. With the rainscreen
ideal way to provide an attractive, design, the metal wall panel system
long-lasting, high-performance wall may contain open joints that are not as
system. installer sensitive as some face-sealed
wall panels, which drastically reduces
What is a Rainscreen? maintenance throughout the life of the
Rainscreens are time tested wall system.
systems that have been in use
for over a century. The rainscreen
design is generally defined by
the separation of cladding from a
structural wall in an effort to man-
age moisture and energy transfer
through a wall assembly.
Advances in technology over the
past few decades have optimized
the design from a simple two stage
weather-tightening system to the in-
clusion of a ventilated airspace and
high-performance products that
make up the entire assembly.
A rainscreen typically consists of
Properly designed metal wall panels
the following components:
The components of a Rainscreen sys- provide beauty along with rain and wind
• Exterior cladding (with or without
tem must be designed to control and uplift protection.
open joints)
manage the elements of nature that
• Ventilation and drainage cavity
act upon a wall assembly.
• Insulation
• Air barrier Ventilation/Drainage Cavity and
• Structure of building Framing System – The ventilation
System Components
cavity is a crucial component of the
The Elements Metal Cladding – With today’s
rainscreen wall assembly. It must be
The key to a properly designed rain technology, there are many different
incorporated into the system via the
screen wall system is to control and options available that allow designers
framing system of the metal wall
manage nature’s elements, which are: to provide a unique and aesthetically
cladding.
• Water infiltration pleasing appearance for a building.
This framing system should be
• Ultra-violet radiation As the first line of defense, a high-
designed to not only support the wall
• Negative wind pressures quality wall panel cladding system is
panels, but also provide a means to
• Heat transfer into and out of essential for a number of reasons in
promote ventilation behind the cladding.
the building a rainscreen assembly. In addition to
This cavity promotes residual water requires continuous layers of insulation Proper design and application of the
drainage and air flow behind the wall to be installed on both mass walls and air barrier system is essential. Attention
panel, which helps to dry out any metal framed walls. to detail is absolutely critical to assure
water that gets through the exterior The insulation used in a rainscreen air barriers within a wall properly tie
cladding, as well as ventilates mois- should be comprised of a material that into roof system air barriers, windows,
ture-laden air that may be drawn into can handle small amounts of mois- penetrations and foundations.
the cavity. ture and has the ability to dry without
The ventilation cavity can be degrading the insulation material or In summary, rainscreens provide an
achieved a number of ways, such as reducing its effective R-value. ideal wall that includes cladding, a ven-
a vented hat channel system, along The ideal types of insulation for tilation cavity, insulation, an air barrier
with vented metal trim components at rainscreen design include rock wool or and a structural wall that are integrated
the bottom and top of the wall panel extruded polystyrene. in a manner to manage and control
assembly. However, if extruded polystyrene is moisture and energy.
The metal wall panel system anchors used, it must meet the building code This design is ideal for new con-
into the hat channel, which is fastened requirements of a fire-rated assembly struction and retrofit applications alike.
through the continuous layer of insula- using foam plastic insulation. Some Depending on the building design,
tion and into the structural assembly of manufacturers do have these fire-rated geographic location, and the use of the
the wall. options available. building, rainscreens can be designed
These fasteners are the only metal to suit the needs of each and every
components that penetrate through Air Barrier – The air barrier, which is facility.
the entire wall assembly, which greatly actually the air and water barrier, is The finished product will provide a
reduces thermal bridging. the most critical component of the beautiful, long-lasting, high-perfor-
According to Building Science rainscreen assembly. It is the last and mance wall system, allowing a building
Corporation1, failure to break thermal most critical line of defense against owner to focus more on their business
bridging of metal stud components water infiltration. instead of the building that protects it.
through the insulation of a wall system Any residual amounts of water that
can reduce their effective R-value by bypass the external cladding will ulti- See Figure 1.1 and Figure 1.2
50-80%. mately be stopped by this air barrier.
The vented hat channel method Any water that contacts this surface
will either drain out of the bottom of Thomas G. Diamond, P.E., Project
eliminates this thermal bridge, allowing
the wall assembly, or will evaporate Engineer
the effective R-value of the continu-
ous layer of insulation to remain nearly out of the wall.
The air barrier, by definition, stops Tom Diamond, P.E. is a Project Engi-
unchanged.
the flow of air through a wall assembly. neer for The Garland Company, Inc., a
This air flow can come from pressure leading manufacturer and distributor of
differentials between the exterior and high performance roofing solutions for
interior climate caused by wind, me- commercial and industrial applications.
chanical and stack effect pressures. Tom graduated from The University of
Without the air barrier, moving air Akron in 2003 with a Bachelors of Sci-
can also migrate large quantities of ence Degree in Mechanical Engineer-
vapor through the wall. If this vapor ing. He obtained his Professional Engi-
comes in contact with a cool surface, neering License in December of 2011.
it can condense within the wall assem- Tom’s primary focus in the commercial
bly, potentially leading to more severe and industrial roofing industry involves
issues. designing optimum performance roof
Vented Hat channel provides anchorage It is important to understand that and wall systems to assure that they
of the metal wall cladding, while promot- air control and vapor control are two are compliant with the Building Code
ing air flow through the ventilation cavity. separate entities. While the movement at National, State and local levels. He
of the air can be stopped by the air frequently delivers seminars and AIA-
barrier, vapor transmission can either accredited classes on installation tech-
be stopped or allowed to pass through niques, building envelope design, and
Insulation – The insulation in a wall
the air barrier, depending on the mate- roofing and wall system technology.
assembly reduces the heat flow into
and out of the building. For the most rial used.
effective and energy efficient design, In some climates and building
insulation should be applied in a con- design, vapor transmission through
tinuous layer on the exterior side of the the air barrier should be allowed to
air barrier. promote the drying of materials and, in
In fact, Table C402.2 of the 2012 In- other scenarios, the vapor should be
ternational Energy Conservation Code stopped completely.

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Figure 1.1 - New Construction Figure 1.2 - Retrofit Construction

© 2013 Garland Industries, Inc.