Clippership Wharf is built on one of East Boston’s most historic wharfs, only steps away from Maverick Square and just minutes from downtown Boston. The 200,000 sq. ft. project is a multifamily, five-story luxury condominium building that will feature restaurants, recreation, and public art—all with views of the Boston skyline.

When the owner of the project, Lendlease, started planning Clippership Wharf, the goal was to create a building that was the first of its kind for Boston Harbor. When building on a harbor, however, there are constant concerns around wind-driven rain and snow and their impact on the construction of the building, as well as the long-term integrity of the building. To overcome these challenges, the owner worked with leading architects at The Architectural Team. The team was committed to ensuring that the building performance and integrity were protected, while maintaining design and aesthetics.

Above all, they needed the right products to keep wind, rain, and moisture out of the system to create high-performance enclosures that will withstand the test of time. Dörken Systems Inc. was the right partner for the job.

Finding Water-resistive Barriers that were Airtight and Vapor Permeable

The exterior of Clippership Wharf incorporated a prefabricated wood frame construction with fire-rated OSB sheathing. This approach, coupled with the city’s climate zone and unique location challenges, called for the use of a vapor permeable air- and water-resistive barrier. No matter how moisture entered the system, through construction or intense wind-driven rain and snow, the team needed to be confident that any incidental moisture could escape and not cause serious damage to the building enclosure. For these reasons, the team selected DELTA®-VENT SA and DELTA®-FASSADE S PLUS barriers to protect Clippership Wharf.

DELTA®-VENT SA 

DELTA®-VENT SA has industry-leading vapor permeability that, when paired with its superior airtight and water-resistive properties, made it the ideal choice for the Clippership Wharf project. DELTA®-VENT SA helps to keep air and water out
of the system, while also allowing any trapped moisture to escape, eliminating the risk of rot, mold, and other problems caused by water. For the Clippership Wharf project, this meant DELTA®-VENT SA would help address unique
design and location concerns, while helping maintain healthy and comfortable interiors for years to come. Additionally, Dörken was one of the few manufacturers that met the NFPA 285 requirements.

DELTA®-FASSADE S PLUS

Clippership Wharf constitutes four buildings, totaling 150,000 sq. ft. of open-joint cladding, and incorporating approximately 10,000 sq. ft. of Trespa® cladding. This unique design element, paired with the climate challenges, called for the
use of DELTA®-FASSADE S PLUS.

Open-joint cladding systems require extreme weather protection. If the barrier isn’t up for the job, the wall system will fail. DELTA®-FASSADE S PLUS is a breathable, UV-resistant barrier with a front-side adhesive for secure overlaps,
specifically designed to provide advanced moisture protection for open-joint cladding systems. Given that the design of Clippership Wharf incorporated a prefabricated wood-frame construction, the decision to use DELTA®-FASSADE S PLUS assured protection from wind-driven rain and snow, with the ability to channel this bulk water to the outside of the structure.

While being highly vapor permeable, DELTA®-FASSADE S PLUS is also extremely durable and tear resistant. The product withstands the rigors of the jobsite, and is tough enough to stand up to the intense wind and weather known to hit the harbor.

Overcoming Construction Challenges 

Overall, the installation of DELTA®-VENT SA was a success, and the product’s self-adhesive edge lap, which works to ensure airtight overlaps, made it easy and convenient to install. The team also expressed the benefit and value of the accessory components, both DELTA®-MULTI BAND and DELTA®-FLEXX-BAND—which served as critical components to the performance of the assembly. Though it was difficult to install during the winter season, where high winds and wind-driven rain were quite prominent, the challenges were overcome by thorough product knowledge and a team that was well trained to install DELTA®-VENT SA.

Maintaining Long-term Building Integrity

By getting ahead of unique climate and location challenges using proven DELTA® products, the Clippership Wharf team is confident that this significant and one-of-a-kind project will maintain optimal performance well into the future.

DELTA®-VENT SA meets the most stringent airtightness requirements when tested by ASTM E2357 (Air Barrier Assembly Test), and is NFPA 285 compliant, Red List Compliant (DECLARE), with Health Product Declaration® (HPD 2.0) available.

DELTA®-FASSADE S and DELTA®-FASSADE S PLUS are the only UV-stable, water-resistive barriers to pass ICC-AC38 (ESR-2932).