Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1295215
E X P E R T I N S I G H T E N G I N E E R E D A S S E M B L I E S By Jeff Ker, Sr Technical Advisor at EA FACADE SYSTEMS: THE THREE FACES OF WARRANTY AND LIFESPAN Many of the systems I've dealt with have 10-year warranties and yet have expected lifespans that vary from 50 to more than 100 years. In addition, specifications often call for labour warranties (installation) of one single year. Coincidentally the effect of a good installation should provide the promise of multiple years of high function, while conversely the effects of a poor installation may not arise for 15 years and yet shorten the lifespan from 40 to 20 years. Let's put the emphasis on the right Sy-llable. Starting with proper care and handling of a material is a great first step. This is often found in a manufac- turer's material documentation. Ensuring these steps are respected is key and yet this can be far more complicated than it sounds. ONE: Material handling and storage Materials often have recommendations on storage and processing such as for cutting. Storage requirements are extremely vital as well. Many materials come from abroad and are wrapped and/or bound and sealed for protection during shipping. Acclimatization to the area where they will be installed may be necessary. In today's construction market where space on site is a premium, this is often a major challenge. Furthermore, construction schedules are reconfigured on a daily to weekly basis. Materials may arrive at a site and require proper, secure, and sheltered extended storage until a given area is ready to receive them because of a schedule change. This is a sensitive matter as the weather in most parts of Canada can change dramatically throughout the duration of a construction project. Protection for materials may need to be augmented and space is an issue. We need to be mindful of the needs of materials. Complicating things further, many trades have to order material months in advanced because of production lead times. Schedules can change dra- matically during this lengthy period. Will there be space on the site when the material arrives? Will the weather be favourable to un-package and acclimatize the material if there is no shelter? Standard billing practices in the industry require a material to be 'physically' on site before a trade will be compensated for it. The trade may also bring it in early, well in advance of the project's specific requirement, as they need to ensure they have all they need when they are engaged to start their phase, or risk suffering penalties/fines for delaying the project. At this point, experience suggests that there is not a lot of consideration for the complexities of material storage in the current construction market. From a financial standpoint, most of the cost-infused responsibility falls on the subtrades who often don't have the means to carry it with the changes that traditionally prolong the schedule. In fact there should be allowances built in to ensure this material is cared for in the best manner possible, for the sake of the client's investment. All in all, if material is not stored/handled properly there can be serious negative outcomes in material lifespan. And the signs of poor care will not necessarily make themselves apparent until after the 'Standard Warranty' has lapsed. So does warranty cover us properly in this case? The answer is no. TWO: Material installation Once material is ready to install we have to ensure that all the manufac- turer's installation guidelines are being followed for warranty purposes. We want the warranty to protect us from manufacturing shortcomings and provide peace of mind. This is a primary principle but it can't stop there. Ensuring that the guidelines are designed to meet the needs of the specific climate and intended application is crucial and often overlooked. We may need to consider the manufacturers' guidelines and then potentially step outside of them to include more 'local best practices.' Seldom does a war- ranty forbid you from adding beneficial ancillary design and engineering. Looking back to a former article, 'The Five Common Mistakes Made in the (Architect) What is the relationship between warranty and lifespan? (Jeff Ker) Often nothing. (Architect) Should we focus on warranty and compare warranty periods to help chose a product? (Jeff Ker) It deserves some attention, but it tells us nothing of product quality nor lifespan. When we are interested in the lifespan of a product, why then is there so often a focus on a warranty period? While most materials and systems come with a variety of warranties, what is seldom spoken of is how to maximize their lifespan. My intention here is not to diminish the value of a warranty, but to outline its function, spell out its boundaries, and to champion the notion of designing for success, while looking at the needs of a material and clearly identifying how it can thrive. This is the best Value Engineering proposition we can make towards a façade, and the overall investment a client makes towards it. For some time the construction industry has been looking for solutions to reduce excessive energy usage and waste. Sustainability and building resilience are centre stage these days and terms such as 'serviceable life spans' and 'embodied energy' are being used more and more often. The subject of material lifespans is a critical component in these matters, however little discussion is being had on maximizing lifespan. One of the key components of embodied energy is the secondary element referred to as 'recurring' – which is the energy it takes to repair, replace, and dispose of a material that did not achieve its expected lifespan. To truly fulfill our commitments to the environment however the focus must be placed on lifespan. I have often suggested to clients that the warranty of a given material or system is there to protect the buyer should there be an unintended failure in materials and/or function due to a shortcoming in manufacturing. If there was a flaw in manufacturing, the issue should rear its head in the time out- lined within the warranty period, and the manufacturer will be responsible for that in some capacity. The warranty is seldom a representation of the lifespan of a product, hence a long warranty makes no more guarantee on lifespan than a short one. Some long warranties may be designed to prorate the purchase of replacement material – potentially without labour fees for removal and re- installation that are often the lion's share of the cost – which isn't helping towards the recurring energy issue previously mentioned. Warranties have their place, but they are not the be all and end all and certainly don't speak to the environmental sensitivities in our midst.