Developed by Wagdy Anis FAIA for his work at Shepley Bulfinch

During the 1990s, Anis was looking at what Canadians were doing to control moisture and improve energy performance in building enclosures. He found that preventing infiltration of moisture-laden air within exterior walls was critical to eliminating a significant cause of condensation. In response, he developed a basic wall section, which his colleagues at Shepley Bulfinch referred to as the Wagdy Wall. This wall controls air infiltration, water vapor diffusion and liquid water by incorporating a continuous, airtight, waterproof membrane such as sheet rubberized asphalt barrier (SRAB) on the exterior face of sheathing or CMU backup wall. Continuous thermal insulation is installed to the exterior of that membrane to prevent condensation within the backup wall.

For the past two decades, versions of this wall section have been implemented successfully throughout the design and construction industry, thanks in large part to Anis's success in educating and promoting the use, appropriate materials and detailing of air barrier membranes within exterior wall assemblies.

Thank you to Carole Wedge FAIA LEED AP, Greta Eckhardt AIA CSI CCS, and Stephen J. Holland for their support in providing drawings and information.

Honoring Wagdy, Celebrating Innovation: Wagdy Anis Symposium on Building Science

As Wagdy Anis exemplified in his career, learning, communication and collaboration are key to the success of high-performance building enclosures. Join us at the Wagdy Anis Symposium on Building Science, from September 22–23, for a two-day hybrid symposium held in honor of Wagdy and in celebration of recent innovations across the building enclosure field.