Speak with today’s leading building products manufacturers about what’s driving development of their latest building-envelope offerings, and you’ll hear two words repeated, over and over again: codes and labor. Current energy-efficiency codes are requiring more sophisticated approaches to envelope design; at the same time, many regions are experiencing shortages in the kinds of skilled labor required to install such designs appropriately. Preassembled systems and easier-to-apply liquid-based sealants are among the solutions now available to address both concerns.

“Energy codes have become more stringent the past few years; they’re the things that give builders the most anxiety,” says Allen Sealock, product director for Huber Engineered Woods. “I think manufacturers, in general, are seeing the same trends and trying to find ways to enter those markets. I think there have been more dramatic changes on the residential side — at least in enforcement.”