WADSWORTH, Ohio — With the importance of understanding the impact of permeance on condensation in exterior wall assemblies, engineers, architects, consultants and other professionals in the building industry will have two opportunities this month to learn just that from one of the top experts in the field.

Jean-François Côté, director of standards and scientific affairs for SOPREMA, will explore the influence of permeance on drying via hygrothermal modeling while highlighting the ASTM E96 standard and permeance testing.

Join him from the comfort of your home or office to hear "The Impact of Permeance on Condensation in Exterior Wall Assemblies" on one of two occasions:

In this webinar, you will learn:

  • How vapor permeance is measured using standard test method ASTM E96
  • Why permeable water-resistive barrier/air barrier is not as effective in a wall assembly
  • Why using water-resistive barriers/air barriers with vapor permeances lower than 5 Perm or higher than 20 Perm increase the risk of condensation and mold growth
  • Why designers must consider other properties water-resistive barriers/air barriers

Côté holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Université de Sherbrooke and a doctorate in Materials Science from INRS-Université du Québec obtained in 1998. He joined SOPREMA in 1999 as a research chemist, where he worked on the development of adhesives and sealants used in roofing and civil engineering. From 2009 to 2015, he was director of strategic development for SOPREMA, coordinating the activities of the Canadian R&D and technical departments of the organization. In his current role, he represents SOPREMA on technical committees of industry associations (ARMA, PIMA, CIMAC) and is actively engaged in various North American standards development organizations (CSA, ASTM, ULC).

He is a registered chemist in Québec (OCQ), is vice-chair of the ASTM D08 Committee on "Roofing and Waterproofing," and is chair of the CSA A123 technical committee on Roofing Materials.

Learn more about SOPREMA's wall systems here.