10:30 am - 11:50 am | Room: Owens Corning Room | Session Chair: Jelena Madzarevic

Moisture Management In Buildings

Lessons Learned - Moisture Ingress Protective Waterproofing Systems

Appropriate selection and quality control of an engineered waterproofing systems for reinforced concrete components/elements in a new building is essential. Adopting these methods are required to mitigate moisture ingress, reducing the risk of moisture induced failures, and increase the durability of the building components. Based on current by-laws, construction of buildings near large bodies of water and excavation to depths below the water table require a foundation structure to be fully encapsulated with a Blindside “Bathtub” Waterproofing System. Air Shafts and Overflow Tanks also require the use of an appropriate engineered waterproofing system. This paper presents a case study on shotcrete application and lessons learned during installation of below grade waterproofing systems. The discussions in this paper relate to the following topics:

• Shotcrete overspray on blindside waterproofing creating bonding issues with waterproofing system;
• Blindside and bathtub waterproofing failures at various construction details below grade;
• Water migration into interior spatial conditions and the necessity for a waterproofing system on the interior air shaft(s) walls and;
• Water migration into interior spatial conditions and the necessity for a more flexible waterproofing system on the interior surfaces of storm and sanitary overflow tanks.

Conducting pre-design meetings and pre-construction meetings will highlight potential risks which will allow the design and construction teams to determine solutions that can be implemented during the construction process. Using Lessons learned from previous projects, the design and construction teams can identify appropriate long-term solutions in an effort to reduce the risk of moisture penetration and moisture induced problems.

Chris McConnell, EXP

Chris McConnell is the Team Leader of Building Envelope Rehabilitation for EXP Services Inc. in Ontario. Over his 10-year career, Chris has gained extensive knowledge pertaining to construction practices widely used in the industry, with a particular focus on the design and installation of waterproofing systems in both new construction and rehabilitation of existing structures.  With a bachelor’s degree (Summa Cum Laude) in Infrastructure Engineering Technology (B.Tech.), few years of working as a contractor and several years as a consultant, is able to identify challenging problems and provide practical, economical and comprehensive solutions.  Chris has the unique ability of working closely with manufacturers, contractors, and product installers, especially when it pertains to finding solutions to everyday construction practices that may lead to future issues. Chris also uses the new construction practices and product selections to assist in locating or resolving moisture intrusion issues for existing buildings and vice versa for new construction practices. Chris has completed multiple waterproofing design reviews, including for some high profile and challenging projects, often participates in waterproofing pre-installation meetings to assist in identifying potential construction issues or waterproofing detail errors that could result in systemic premature failures in the waterproofing system.