RAiNA Technical Bulletin: Defining Rainscreen Wall Performance

The term “rainscreen” is a widely applied—though sometimes confused term—used within the construction industry to describe cladding systems and/or exterior wall assemblies. The RAiNA definition: An assembly applied to an exterior wall that consists of, at minimum, an outer/inner layer, and a cavity between them sufficient for the passive removal of liquid water and water vapor describes the basic components of a rainscreen. This bulletin further elaborates on these layers and the loads on the parts, and further describes the various wall performance attributes to distinguish between different types of rainscreen walls for all building types. A RAiNA glossary will follow as a separate bulletin. The figures and discussion following present the minimum defined rainscreen wall components (left side) ; however, additional wall components will typically be included within many rainscreen walls as discussed on the right. Steel framing is shown for backup in the example, though this does not preclude other construction materials including wood or concrete.