News + Ideas
Our thoughts, publications, white papers, research and current events.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building Café Design Study
Our firm has worked with the General Services Administration (GSA) for decades, dating back to the 1990s. One of our most recent projects has been an exciting design study of a café for the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building in San Francisco.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building Café Design Study
Our firm has worked with the General Services Administration (GSA) for decades, dating back to the 1990s. One of our most recent projects has been an exciting design study of a café for the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building in San Francisco.
Applied Technology Services Facility, Common Area & Calibration Lab Remodel, Danville, California
Another successful project designed by Interactive Resources, Inc. was recently completed for a local utility company with facilities throughout Northern and Central California. The Applied Technology Services (ATS) Facility in Danville performs some of the company’s...
DGS, FMD Bay & Northern Area Architectural Retainer Services
We are happy to announce that State of California, Department of General Services (DGS), Facilities Management Division (FMD) selected Interactive Resources, Inc. to provide architectural and engineering services for the Bay and Northern California regions. The FMD...
Coping with Building Disasters & Failures
Introduction If disaster visits your building or it suffers from a major failure, will you be ready? Will recovery be quick and financially painless, or will the event be terminal? Disasters affecting buildings can come from nature or from the acts (or omissions) of...
Codes & Standards for Barriers & Flashings
Both technology and available materials and products continue to proliferate, with new offerings in liquid-applied barriers and flashings, air barriers with water-resistive functionality and drainable interstices. This presentation reviews applicable AAMA, ICC and...
Window and Door Design and Installation Guide
Techniques for installation of “punched” windows and doors have been evolving continually over the last two decades. For many years, the accepted standard involved four strips of flexible flashing integrated with a nailing fin and the water resistive barrier (WRB) at...
Plaza Deck Design Primer
A plaza deck is a walking surface, which sometimes can accommodate vehicles, typically waterproofed to protect the underlying structure and/or occupied spaces below. Common surface treatments include concrete, ceramic tile, stone or other paving material, usually with...
Westcon Tribune
Symposium 2000 Review by Tom Butt, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C Introduction My presentation at the symposium included remarks about construction litigation in general, the design professional's standard of care, using standards to avoid litigation and achieve better design and...
Water Resistance and Vapor Permeance of Weather Resistive Barriers
Journal of ASTM International, November/December 2005, Vol. 2, No. 10 Paper ID JAI12495 Available online at www.astm.org Weather-resistive barriers (WRBs) are typically used in exterior walls of low rise frame buildings under claddings such as stucco (cement plaster),...
The Enduring Mystery of Weather Resistive Barriers and the Need for Standards
Click here for PDF version of this PowerPoint presentation, as delivered by Tom Butt at the Westcon ASTM E 2266 Seminar.
Soffit/Weep Screeds in Cement Plaster (Stucco) Construction
In spite of its many advantages, stucco has, when misused or abused, distinct undesirable characteristics that can cause or contribute to serious problems or construction failures. The undesirable result most often seen is water intrusion resulting in damage to...