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Essay:
Start of the BC leaky condo problemIn the early to mid 1980s the Lower Mainland experienced a dramatic increase in housing construction and a similarly dramatic increase in land prices. This left developers searching for cost-effective housing solutions for the market. Developers became influenced by the glamour of ˇ°lifestyle marketingˇ± and the freedom of new directions in exterior design. Architectural influences started to change in the lowrise, multi-unit, residential housing market, and design began to reflect the southwestern United States trend toward clean, sunny, and articulated condominium buildings with between 10 and 100 units on three or four levels. Designers wanted more contact with the outdoor environment through the use of expansive glazing areas, large balconies, and outside walkways for individual access. Specific municipal building bylaws for calculating floor area coupled with the desire to maximize space/land use (and therefore profits) led to designs that minimized wall thickness, limited or eliminated overhangs, and, unfortunately, largely ignored the great differences in climate between the sunny (and drier) south and the rainforest of the Lower Mainland. The architecture changed to reflect non-local characteristics, overlooking the fact that many of the design features incorporated into traditional local design were included in response to particular climatic requirements. There was also an erosion of good construction practice and dilution of trade skills as the demand for labor outstripped the supply in the booming market. Kayll, D. G., 2001, The Role of the Building Envelope Professional in the Aftermath of Vancouver's Leaky Condominium Crisis
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