Housing and Community Development

This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Housing Knowledge Community and Custom Residential Architects Network .
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Here are some interesting comments from a Fellow in the AIA, whose business is largely spent cleaning up after other architects, contractors, engineers and others, whose points of view he posted in another AIA forum.  All of us should listen to this guy:

Dennis Hall, FAIA, FCSI • With the adoption of STC and IIC requirements into the IBC, we have experienced a lack of understanding by design professionals of these requirements and how to properly design fire and acoustical considerations as a part of dwelling unit separation. Almost every condo case we are seeing today has an acoustical component to the litigation.

In regard to exterior building envelope issues, water intrusion is the major issue in all litigation and what I call the 90/10 rule. Culpability: 90% of the problems are construction problems and 10 % are design. Design errors are 90% failing to detail conditions and leaving it up to the Contractor to understand the Code and trade standards and 10% is designing the envelope to leak.

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Rand Soellner AIA
Architect/Owner/Principal
Home Architects
Cashiers NC
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