IMPROVING THE SERVICE LIFE OF SEALED CLADDING JOINTS THROUGH A TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT APPROACH

Sealants and gaskets are among the components of a cladding most likely to fail. Despite their fundamental role in the weatherproofing and thermal insulation of the building envelope, they receive little consideration from initial selection to final use. A large percentage of the cladding seal defects and failures can be attributed to poor workmanship, the lack of proper site supervision and faulty fabrication. The paper suggests that ‘sealed joint quality ’ can be defined as the extent to which the sealed joints conforms to established requirements. The paper shows how a more complete set of requirements can be established by use of fault tree analysis. The paper recommends that cladding contractors should implement an appropriate quality management system which is aimed at establishing a commitment to quality, improving the quality output, and providing confidence that acceptable quality has been achieved. Implementation of effective quality management in a cladding project will not only ensure adequate super-vision, but also proper workmanship. A system of checklists and routine inspections can be used to ensure that the sealed cladding joints conform to the specified requirements. 1