With erosion paths cut into solid rock as solid evidence, water in various forms contains immense power to eat away or destroy whatever is in its path. Whether it takes a year, two hundred or ten thousand, without intervention, water can and will destroy our man-made structures. Once a problem develops that opens a pathway for intrusion, one rainy season can render a building unsuitable for human use. We have the knowledge and tools to combat such destruction of our structures. We implement counterattacks in the design stage, during construction, and afterwards with proactive maintenance. But the battle against water begins in the design phase. Moisture resistance principles and methods are discussed in a systematic fashion, as in one building system at a time. Fundamentals are first covered including basic principles of water behavior, and the multiple paths it takes while invading buildings. A thorough knowledge of how destruction begins and escalates, drives the known design principles and material decisions used to stop such migration. Then practical solutions are discussed in detail. The discussion is needed. The physical price tag for both our structures and their occupants, is too high to allow water free entry into our occupied spaces.

Learning Objective:

• • A basic understanding of how water moves, migrates, and behaves.
  • Typical sources of excess moisture in our built environments.
  • Proactive prevention of unwanted moisture through planning and design.
  • Methods used during construction to prevent the intrusion of water.
  • Post-construction prevention of leakage by building envelope inspection.
  • Common points of failure through which water can gain entrance.
  • Prevention of water intrusion through control of condensation.