There are several significant changes with regard to fire-rated walls and the new I codes. Unfortunately, it seems the code has moved in a direction to allow what is known in the industry as “trade-offs.”
Today’s level of providing smooth walls and hiding the board joints would have seemed almost impossible 40 years ago. Yet, today they are commonplace and expected. Unfortunately, as the finishers got better and tools and materials improved, the owners and architects have kept raising their level of expectation to almost unobtainable perfection. The finishing and final decoration of gypsum wallboard is more complex than most average people in construction are aware.
I am fortunate. I have been on both sides of the fence. In fact, I have been all over the fence, under it, around it and on top of it. The fence I am talking about is the submittal fence.
True today as it was two decades ago, the lack of or improperly designed or installed flashings at transitions should be the primary consideration in designing exterior envelopes. Architects should not dismiss the lessons of the past or tried-and-true details that have proven themselves over decades of service.
