ORLANDO, FLA.—Florida-based Liberty Building Forensics Group, a leading building forensics firm that has solved complex building moisture and mold problems, has a warning for hotel design and construction teams. Rigid adherence to brand standards in new hotel construction without factoring in specific regional and climatic conditions can result in significant mold and moisture issues.
Design standards are developed on a global basis, not taking into consideration specific limitations of regional climates. Regional violations in design standards have been shown repeatedly to result in extensive and costly mold and moisture problems in hotels.
Brands claim their standards are only guidelines, and that the designer or contractor on site is ultimately responsible for interpreting how climate might impact the situation. But in reality, brand standards are so specific and budget-driven that contractors typically adhere to them, even if they’re contrary to best climatic practices.
Mold, Moisture Issues On the Rise
Liberty Vice President George DuBose explained that, with the recent emergence of new hotel construction, his firm is seeing a recurrence of mold and moisture problems.
“A vacuum appears to exist in the institutional memory of design and construction firms, ownership groups, and brands that are currently flooding the marketplace,” he said. “What we knew to work so well in the 1990s has been forgotten in today’s hotel design and construction. This poses a significant risk of new hotel failures that could mirror what we experienced in the 1980s and 1990s in warm, humid climates.”
DuBose believes Liberty serves as an excellent institutional memory for those who don’t have the benefit of over 30 years of experience in the industry.
