The Rainscreen Association in North America held its first conference, with a theme of “Creating Buildings That Endure,” on Nov. 7 in Chicago.

About 100 people attended the conference and participated in many educational sessions, in addition to networking with other industry professionals. The educational sessions covered a wide range of topics, from retrofit construction to the best uses for rainscreens, and included speakers like Brian Nelson of Knight Wall Systems and Graham Finch of RDH.

Winners were also announced for the inaugural RAiNA Awards, which honors construction projects that include rainscreens. Nine entries were submitted for the awards, with Engineered Assemblies and ECO Cladding receiving the prizes for the new construction and retrofit categories, respectively.