Building Envelope

Building envelope systems include roofing, cladding, windows, doors, flashings, weather-resistant barriers, and associated components. YA Group engineers and architects are experts in investigating and identifying building envelope leaks and failures. This understanding of how systems and components fail provides YA with a unique background for developing repair solutions to building envelope systems and also for performing peer reviews for new designs. YA building envelope professionals also have extensive litigation experience and provide expert testimony to support our findings.

• Building Envelope Evaluation and Repair Design
• Roof Damage Evaluations
• Water Leakage Testing and Analysis
• Destructive and Non-Destructive Testing of Building Envelope Systems
• Design and Construction Defect Investigations
• Building Envelope Detail Drawing and Specification Peer Review
• Building Code Review and Code-Upgrade Evaluations
• Construction Period Services
• Litigation Support and Expert Witness Testimony
• Steep- and Low-Slope Examinations of All Types of Roof Systems
• Investigations, Including Water Leakage Testing and Analysis
• Moisture Surveys
• Detailed Reports, including a Full Assessment of Roof System and Associated Components
• Historical Review of National Weather Service records
• Roof Investigations, Including Destructive Openings and Laboratory Testing
• Evaluation of Roofing Industry Standards and Code Requirements for Repairs

YA engineers and architects are frequently tasked with evaluating the condition of existing roof systems. Roof systems may be damaged from external sources such as hail, wind, snow, construction activities, or long-term issues such as age, exposure, or lack of maintenance. Properly evaluating a roof system requires knowledge of the steep- and low-slope systems and the associated components, including flashings, gutters, vents, scuppers, crickets, rigid insulation, and underlayment. Older roof systems and those lacking proper maintenance are generally more susceptible to damage from external sources.

YA has decades of experience evaluating damaged roofing systems on thousands of buildings and structures ranging in size from residential to large industrial facilities. This allows YA to educate building owners, contractors, and insurance carriers regarding roofing systems that remain serviceable versus those that require repairs or replacement. YA professionals are available to provide construction documents for repairs or replacement of affected roofing systems.

Evaluation of water leakage in buildings requires extensive knowledge of building envelope assemblies, materials, and testing standards and protocols. YA engineers and architects have decades of experience evaluating all types of building envelope assemblies to identify water leakage sources. YA building envelope investigations focus on identifying the source of water leaks, often involving sequenced removal of exterior cladding materials to identify critical material properties and detailing at material interfaces and boundaries. Forensic evaluations of water leakage also typically include a thorough review of the building maintenance history and construction documents.

Selection and implementation of the appropriate test methods enable YA to assess the source of water intrusion accurately. YA personnel have experience performing numerous standard tests, including spray rack testing of windows and curtain walls, core testing of roofing, infrared thermal imaging of roofing and cladding systems, moisture surveys, and pressurization and air passage testing. Our experience and knowledge of the various building envelope test standards allow YA to advise building owners, restoration contractors, design professionals, insurance and legal representatives regarding appropriate test methods for water leakage evaluations.

Correctly identifying water leakage sources allows YA to develop accurate repair scopes for construction or cost-estimating purposes. Water intrusion into a building may also originate from sources other than the building envelope, such as mechanical and plumbing components or vapor transfer and condensation. YA offers mechanical engineering and energy evaluation services to assess these other systems.