Portland, Oregon | 09.30.2026
Why Building Owners Don’t Buy Rainscreens: The Human Side of Resilient Construction
1.0 CEU/HSW
Presented by Tyler Smith, BEE Engineers
Building enclosure professionals understand the benefits of rainscreen systems: improved moisture management, enhanced durability, and increased resilience. Yet many building owners continue to choose lower-cost repairs, defer corrective work, or simply repaint and hope for the best.
Why? The answer is often not technical.
Drawing from real-world building enclosure investigations, repair projects, and conversations with owners, facility managers, architects, and contractors, this presentation explores the human factors that influence building enclosure decision-making. Attendees will gain insight into how owners perceive risk, evaluate competing priorities, respond to cost proposals, and ultimately decide whether to invest in resilient enclosure solutions.
Through case studies, lessons learned, and a healthy dose of humor, this session examines common communication gaps between technical professionals and building owners, and offers practical strategies for improving project advocacy and stakeholder buy-in. Participants will leave with a better understanding of why technically sound solutions are not always selected-and how building enclosure professionals can more effectively communicate the value of resilient construction.
Because in many cases, the greatest barrier to a successful rainscreen project isn’t the wall assembly itself-it’s understanding the people making the decisions.
Finding Closure: Integrating Architectural Cavity Closures into the Rainscreen Assembly for Durable Design
1.0 CEU/HSW
Presented by Emma Mahoney and Jeffrey Kerr, SGH
Equally important is a single-source installation approach, where one contractor is responsible for installing all components of the rainscreen system. This streamlines communication and scheduling, reduces downtime, and helps ensure the system is installed as an integrated assembly, improving both quality control and overall system performance.
Rainscreen Reality Check: Designing for Movement, Resilience and Real-World Performance
1.0 CEU/HSW
Presented by David Young, RDH Building Science
For over 20 years, rainscreen cladding systems have been widely used throughout North America as a durable approach to managing water intrusion and improving enclosure performance. With significant industry advancement in rainscreen assemblies over that time, how do we maintain that momentum through evolving energy codes, resilience requirements, seismic demands, and increasingly complex wall assemblies?
This presentation examines some of the future looking issues related to rainscreen design and detailing practices. Topics include drainage and ventilation limitations in assemblies, the influence of cladding attachment systems on effective thermal performance, support and integration challenges for windows set within exterior insulation zones, and movement-related distress associated with thermal expansion, frame shrinkage, and seismic drift.
Case studies and field observations will illustrate how competing demands related to water management, constructability, movement accommodation, fire resilience, and durability can influence long-term performance. Practical detailing strategies will be presented to help improve rainscreen resilience and real-world constructability in demanding climates and seismic environments.
Rainscreen Backup Wall Design Considerations and Lessons Learned for Better Coordination Between Trades
1.0 CEU/HSW
Presented by Corey Zussman, AECOM Hunt
When designing a rainscreen wall system, the backup wall design is one of the most important to properly detail, coordinate with all trades, taking into consideration the construction and installation tolerances, and the installation requirements for the backup wall, water and air resistive barrier, insulation detailing, and the rainscreen support system. Each component must be understood ahead of time, so the systems are properly detailed and specified before construction of the backup wall begins. Understanding connections that need to happen based on materials, tested systems, and compatibility of materials will make the quest to create the best possible building a reality. Proactively designing the necessary advanced detailing needed to the backup wall system, understanding construction requirements for each component, and lessons learned are discussed and dissected to improve future detailing and specifications. Knowing what to include in the Construction Documents and paying attention to the little details, will increase the likelihood of a successful project.
Look Before You Leap: An Inside View of Rainscreen Retrofits
1.0 CEU/HSW
Presented by Jake LaManna, Walsh Construction Company, Brian Nelson, Knight Wall Systems, Geoff Duck, Cascadia and Moderated by Paul Grahovac
Many building enclosure retrofit projects begin with assumptions about existing conditions, repair strategies, and project scope long before anyone truly understands what lies behind the cladding. Critical questions such as Should we run those additional tests?, Is a rainscreen retrofit the right solution?, and What risks are we accepting by moving forward with incomplete information? are often raised only after key decisions have been made.
Fortunately, you do not have to navigate these complexities in the dark. The Rainscreen Association in North America (RAiNA) has developed a comprehensive Retrofit Guide that provides a structured process for evaluating existing building enclosure conditions, assessing retrofit options, and reducing project risk. The panelists will explore this process through the lens of a real-world recladding project involving a face-sealed wall system.
Join Jake LaManna, Quality Manager at Walsh Construction, as he walks attendees through the investigation, evaluation, and decision-making process that transformed an aging enclosure into a durable rainscreen assembly. Through investigative demolition, forensic analysis, and field observations, attendees will learn how concealed deficiencies can influence retrofit decisions and why proper evaluation of existing conditions is essential before selecting a repair, restoration, over cladding, or replacement strategy.
Building on the case study discussion, our panelists will explore other key retrofit considerations such as substrate capacity, window retention versus replacement, attachment system selection, and the tradeoffs between over cladding and removing existing enclosure components.
This is not a theoretical discussion, but one grounded in real-world examples from the Pacific Northwest that demonstrate what can go wrong when building enclosure conditions are misunderstood or inadequately investigated, how project teams can make informed retrofit decisions, and how rainscreen design principles help deliver durable, resilient building enclosures.