The CBC is running a series about glass towers sold as condos. Many new condos are being built in Toronto and other Canadian cities. They look terrific from the outside and offer great views for the residents. The criticism is that the windows that are the skin of the building lack adequate thermal insulation and will rapidly lose their seals and leak water into the building.
My wife and I moved into a twelve story condo about ten years ago. It is a brick building with beautiful large windows but not the same as the newer glass towers but it is already experiencing water ingress although not from the windows yet.
Rain water is driven by the wind through the smallest crack in the concrete slab or failures of the caulking. The Reserve Fund foresees caulking replacement after fifteen years. I believe our building is well built and while the water is a problem for the people involved it is a nuisance in the big picture.
I hate to think of the problems a thirty storey glass tower will experience within the first ten years of occupancy long after the developer has gone. It would be very interesting to see a Reserve Fund study for such a building.
I would imagine that it is a combination of rain, wind, and the resultant water freezing in the fall and thawing in the spring.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, a study should be interesting. Go to it John and report back soon.