Building Enclosure Design of Exterior Soffits

Commercial building designs have long incorporated exterior soffits, better known outside of the building design/construction industry as the underside of any projecting building feature. Aside from soffits at the eave or rake edges of a steep-slope roof, the soffits that are the focus of this article are located on the underside of a steel or concrete-framed projecting building level or on the underside of other horizontal projections, such as balconies and canopies.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

After reading this article, you should be able to:

• UNDERSTAND the principle of building enclosure water management as it relates to soffit design
• LEARN how material selection and durability should be considered in the context of soffit design
• DISCUSS how air and thermal barriers may be incorporated into soffit designs
• RECOGNIZE building enclosure materials that may be used as soffit cladding