Building envelope, Waterproofing

Acting as a separation between inside and outside, the building envelope provides multiple functions such as waterproofing, thermal and acoustic insulation, ventilation, smoke extraction, fire safety, natural lighting, maintenance… It directly contributes to the aesthetics of buildings and protects them against environmental aggressions. It can also be at the origin of a new type of space and a new kind of relationship between users and environment.

ABS’s building science staff can work on the main components of the building envelope, such as roofs, facades and flat surfaces waterproofing (terraces or multi-storey parking garage).

In addition to support property owners and estate managers in planning the maintenance activities, our engineers and technicians working in building science contribute directly to achieve energy efficiency goals fixed by the applicable regulations.

Because the control of energy consumption has become an issue for industrialized societies, the development of more advanced measurement tools in the building sector is the order of the day.

Buildings are also a public safety issue. Roof collapsing or facades failures can cause harmful accidents. By providing measurement services, control and monitoring of these elements of the building envelope, our engineers and technicians directly contribute to the safety of all.

Equipment is an important component of the practice in the field of building science. The technical advice is largely based on data and measurements which is collected and then analyzed.

The “Association des Maîtres Couvreurs du Québec (AMCQ)”, roofing association in Québec, has delivered several certifications to our inspectors in regards to expertise for roofing and waterproofing :

  • Quality control of the works
  • Mono-ply and liquid membranes
  • Multilayer sealing and modified bitumen

Our inspectors are certified in infrared thermography by the American Society for Non-destructive Testing (ASNT).

The wide range of customers in building science engineering is as large as the many different types of uses for all buildings in our surroundings : housing owners, property managers, real-estate park owners, builders or developers, managers of municipal assets, government and schools.

Until recently, considered only as a passive facade, an object separating environments, the building envelope is nowadays entrusted with a key role in achieving the overall performance of the building. It is now described by specialists as “intelligent”, “alive” or “biomimetic” facade.