The composition of the 1 hour fire rated exterior wall section of the first through the fourth floor starting from the exterior to the interior are as follows: brick/stone veneer, metal ties, 1 ½” minimum air space, 15” building felt, 5/8” dens glass gold sheathing, 6” metal studs, R-19 batt insulation, vapor barrier, and 5/8” type ‘X’ G.W.B. The foundation wall which encloses the parking garage has architecturally exposed concrete and is composed of with the following: a fluid applied waterproofing membrane extended to cover footing, a bituthene liquid member joint sealant, and a 12” concrete foundation wall.

The construction methods in producing a sustainable curtain wall starts with having a solid foundation. Once the foundation is constructed the shell of the building structure can be built. For the Wellington Condominiums the base is heavily concrete floor and walls while the upper levels consist of composite decking with metal stud wall framing. Once the main framing of the exterior is complete the curtain wall can then begin construction. Starting from the base and working your way up with scaffolding placing cast stone and brick veneer at the locations the drawing documents require. The construction of the building curtain wall will take a little more time due to the fact that is being constructed in the winter but the schedule has taken into the account of possible weather day occurrences. The design responsibility falls directly on to the structural engineer in specifying the ties and loads present. The contractor is also responsible for the correct placement of the curtain wall elements and is to make sure construction is up to code requirements. For example the contractor is responsible that all concrete masonry units be ASTM C90 grade N and have a minimum compressive strength of 1900 PSI, provide temporary bracing for masonry walls during entire erection of walls until adequate strength is developed (usually 7 days or longer), all 8” masonry walls be reinforced with #5 @ 32” vertical minimum, and fill masonry wall cores containing reinforcing with coarse grout.