Newly formed Rainscreen Association aims to be recognized authority on rainscreen assemblies

The newly formed Rainscreen Association (RAiNA) says its work will aid the North American construction industry in better understanding and assessing rainscreen material and products.

The multi-disciplinary, member-led organization’s mission statement reads: “To work together with our membership, industry, and trade to be the recognized authority on rainscreen assemblies in North America.” RAiNA has had six committees composed of 209 individuals working more than 10,000 person hours this year to develop technical information needed by the industry.

“Over the last two decades, the building science community has pushed exterior wall assembly performance to the front of the conversation regarding overall building performance,” according to a RAiNA news release. “The organization has attracted many of the leading voices in the building science community.

“As manufacturers continue to innovate with material performance, and building designs continue to evolve, applicable building knowledge is more important than it has ever been.”

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.