Most buildings require a continuous air barrier, and the air barrier must be continuously detailed across all six sides of the building enclosure to be effective. Air control discontinuities in parapets can lead to water ingress, impact occupant comfort, waste energy from loss of conditioned air, cause damage from condensation moisture, and transmit airborne contaminants through the building enclosure. Roof membranes are generally very good at blocking airflow, but unless they are designed to be part of the continuous air barrier system, and tied into the other five sides, the building will still leak air (read more about roof membranes here). For low-slope roof systems, it can be beneficial to use the roof deck as the primary air control layer or include an air control layer on the topside of the roof deck.




Moisture Management Of Parapet Walls