Wraptite-SA protects historic Tokyo church during restoration

After the Tokyo Wakaba Christ Church was severely damaged by an earthquake in 2011, the building was closed by the order of the public authorities. As part of the building’s restoration, led by architect Kikumi Kusumoto, the Wraptite-SA airtight membrane was specified to secure the building envelope.

Wraptite Tape was used to complement Wraptite-SA in dealing with the more intricate detailing around areas such as the windows, doors and penetrations.

The Tokyo Wakaba Church was designed almost 100 years ago by American architect William Merrel Vories. The arched windows, a key feature of the church, presented a significant challenge when specifying a water resistant membrane that would resist puncture and tears whilst providing a high level of protection for the building.

A Proctor Group’s self-adhering vapour permeable barrier, Wraptite-SA, was applied externally to the walls and windows as a solution. Due to the membrane’s self-adhesive nature, any risk of failure through leakage was removed.

The use of Wraptite-SA provided a significant contribution to the building’s thermal performance by preventing lateral air movement. The membrane also allowed any water vapour to escape the wall construction efficiently, thereby avoiding any interstitial condensation problems.

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