
GreenGuard RainDrop 3D Building Wrap
Air/water barrier - 3D drainage channels, breathes, non-perforated, durable
Young professionals today are looking for the convenience of city living with the neighborhood feel of country living. In response, developers are designing new apartment complexes that are located in urban areas and are integrated into retail and entertainment settings, providing a lifestyle that combines all the features that renters demand. Alta at Jonquil, a 266-unit luxury apartment rental complex in Smyrna, Georgia, features a state-of-the-art community and a wide variety of amenities, all constructed with high-end materials that maximize efficiency and performance.
With one-, two-, and three-bedroom units that range in size up to more than 1,700 square feet, Alta at Jonquil is situated just 10 miles from downtown Atlanta and is close to all major interstates as well as several public transit options. The community area includes a grocery store, many restaurants, and a mix of specialty retailers, while the complex itself includes amenities such as covered parking, outdoor seating and dining areas, resort-style saline pool, club lounge, fitness studio, and pet spa.
Wood Partners, the developer of Alta at Jonquil, chose a total moisture management solution from Kingspan Insulation LLC to protect the exterior walls of the building: Kingspan RainDrop® Building Wrap along with flashing and seam tape. Having learned about the advantages of this unique wrap from Kingspan, Wood Partners selected it to ensure the air and moisture barrier performance that was required in the specs of the building design.
“This multi-family building project had several different types of cladding, including brick, fiber cement panels and siding, and stone veneer,” explained Bill McDonald, Kingspan Sales Representative for the Georgia market. “Our RainDrop® Building Wrap is ideal for this project because it works as an air barrier, water-resistive barrier, and drainage medium in construction environments where optimum barrier performance plus drainage behind wall cladding is required. Where most other wraps are flat, this was the first product on the market to feature built-in drainage channels that are capable of eliminating greater than 90 percent of moisture that can get behind walls.”
Kingspan RainDrop® Building Wrap takes an innovative approach with the drainage channels that keep water out of the wall system. Although the wrap is completely flexible, the channels are designed not to crimp, collapse, or flatten during installation, helping to ensure that water will drain. In addition, it is a non-perforated wrap that breathes to allow moisture vapor to escape.
For the Alta at Jonquil project, the building wrap was installed directly over the OSB insulation and cut down on the air that gets into the building. To further enhance the air and water barrier performance in the installation, Kingspan window flashing eliminated any gaps around the windows, and Kingspan seam tape was used to seal the inside and outside corners of all walls in the building. Together, the wrap, flashing, and seam tape comprise a complete installation system.
“The crew was really pleased with the way the wrap went up on this project, particularly with how easy it was to work with,” noted Dave Wagner, Wood Partners. “We used it on all exterior walls throughout the complex, and it easily passed all the tests after installation. Because it is a complete system, we were able to get the right amount of wrap, flashing, and tape as we needed it so there were never any slowdowns. Almost all of the buildings are already occupied—we couldn’t be happier with the results.”
Thanks to its high tear resistance and translucent design, installation of the Kingspan RainDrop® Building Wrap is quick and easy with no job site waste. Boasting UV stability for up to six months, it serves as an excellent secondary weather barrier that helps deflect water and wind–driven rain while channeling water away and allowing vapor to escape so that walls dry faster. The Alta at Jonquil project is a highly desirable addition to the Atlanta area that will stand up to any weather with the help of Kingspan’s RainDrop® Building Wrap, flashing, and seam tape.