Henry^® Company keeps multifamily project on track after initial air barrier fails to deliver

The Situation

Offering sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline, 100 Hoboken is a new 137-unit multifamily building with four floors atop a parking-level podium. During construction, a thin-film, spray-applied air barrier wouldn’t adhere to the building’s exterior, forcing the developer, Livingston, NJ-based BNE Real Estate, to find an alternative that would protect the $38 million project.

Although CMU (concrete masonry unit) portions of the build required a fluid-applied air barrier, BNE now wanted to use a self-adhered system for the rest of the 183,000 square-foot structure. The developer knew that meant finding a fluid-applied and a self-adhered air barrier system that would work with the structure’s different substrates and be chemically compatible with each other. Looking for workable options, BNE looked to Henry for help.

The Solution

Henry proposed a fully compatible solution – Henry Blueskin VP160 Self-Adhered Water Resistive Air Barrier System for the bulk of the structure, and Henry Air-Bloc All-Weather STPE Fluid Applied Vapor Permeable Air Barrier System for the CMU sections with exposed brick ties. BNE was on board with the proposal, as were the designers at Minno & Wasko Architects and Planners, the NJ firm behind the project. Minno & Wasko had specified Blueskin VP160 for previous projects and was certain that it would perform successfully for 100 Hoboken.

The Results

To help ensure a trouble-free project, Henry created a mock-wall and instructed the contractor on proper installation techniques. The air barrier installations – both self-adhered and fluid applied – were completed without issue, and BNE was extremely pleased. Ultimately, the two fully compatible air barrier systems provided a solution that met the challenge and was backed by a single-source warranty.

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