The Rainscreen Association in North America (RAiNA) has released a new Division 01 specification to establish clear, unified performance requirements for rainscreen wall assemblies, addressing critical gaps in traditional specification practices.

This innovative specification is designed to tie together multiple sections and work scopes to define their collective performance as an integrated assembly. Historically, Division 07 specifications have focused on individual materials without clearly communicating how they contribute to a singular performance goal or how they should be coordinated with adjacent systems. This lack of integration often leads to scope gaps and discontinuities, compromising overall performance.

By shifting assembly performance requirements into Division 01, this specification ensures that materials and components are explicitly identified as working together. This approach provides:

1. Clearer Design Intent – Defines which materials and sections contribute to the overall performance.
2. Improved Coordination – Reduces gaps and misalignments between different work scopes.
3. Enhanced Execution Expectations – Helps ensure that performance goals are properly met in the field.

As the industry continues to emphasize building resilience, energy efficiency, and long-term durability, this new Division 01 specification will serve as a critical tool for architects, specifiers, and contractors to achieve better performance outcomes in rainscreen wall assemblies.

The Division 01 specification, RAiNA Section 018323 - Rainscreen Assembly Performance Requirements can be found on the RAiNA website, or by clicking https://shorturl.at/mO6R2