This article presents two examples of deficient installation of a simple architectural detail, the brick veneer relief angle, and discusses how a well conducted Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx) process can help prevent such failures.
As a provider of BECx services I sometimes perceive that the importance of our contribution to the design process is not fully appreciated. It is not rare for design teams to completely disregard the recommendations that we offer during our third-party design reviews. However, in the course of visiting jobsites and observing how building enclosure systems actually get put together I often get to see first-hand what can happen when poorly developed installation details make their way to the hands of well-meaning contractors.