2010 Excellence Awards
2010 EXCELLENCE AWARDS IN MASONRY DESIGN
Honor Award: Weatherproofing
The Bravern Signature Residences
Presented to United Professional Caulking & Restoration, Inc.
The uniqueness of the Bravern’s two 29 story residential condominiums is personally experienced and seen throughout its complexity of exterior components rising heavenward from the city streets below, juxtaposed in a downtown setting. The multiplicity of construction materials, including precast concrete, glass and glazing, curtain wall, and metal panel cladding all required a single source sealant and an experienced sealant installer with a proven and successful history of similar sealant installations to keep the interiors of Bravern dry with its well featured, lavish, with more traditional finishes and other cutting-edge designs.
“It was a privilege that Unipro was chosen by the design team…,” said Wayne Belcher with Unipro, “…to ensure that the project successfully receive the best sealant installation and long term performance.” PCL the general contractor for the Bravern felt that United Professional stood out as a sterling choice for the project having demonstrated a successful history of over 19 years and $50million in similar installations without a single failure, warranty issue or construction claim.
There were many special circumstances and challenges faced in weatherproofing this building project successfully; beginning with a trip early in 2008 to the Florida testing lab where a 2 story mockup was erected and attached to a chamber for sealing and testing against water-intrusion.
The installation of a Two-Stage Sealant System was decided upon and designed into the exterior details of the Bravern, offering the very best protection against water-intrusion. Transitioning this type of sealant system in and around protruding concrete decks, metal panels, and curtain walls in a 29 story tower required great attention to each detail and substrate interface. Thus, it was decided early by the Bravern design team that one of the most reliable ways of eliminating water leakage through the sealant joinery in any building envelope is to apply the rain screen principle within the sealant joinery, providing pressure equalization, thus preventing the vacuity of water through sealant expansion joints. This type of installation would provide a major deterrent to water leakage at the outside face of the wall, and seal against air and vapor passage on the interior side of the air space, where the primary seal is exposed to little of the destructive elements of weather and sun.
The Bravern truly testifies to the importance of good sealant practices and their installations by experienced installers like United Professional.