External wall construction, sealing fixture, external wall panel, and external wall constructing method

A sealing fixture used for an external wall construction, wherein the external wall construction includes right and left external wall panels each having a notched recess formed on left and right side portions thereof, respectively, along a vertical direction, the right and left external wall panels being fixed to an underlayment by installing a securing metal fitting on each of upper and lower side portions of the right and left external wall panels, the sealing fixture being arranged between the right and left external wall panels and continuously arranged over the vertical direction of the external wall construction, the sealing fixture comprising:

• a base plate portion fixed to the underlayment;
• a rising plate portion erected at the base plate portion;
• a front plate portion arranged at the rising plate portion;
• and
• a front resilient material provided at a front face of the front plate portion, wherein the front resilient material and the front plate portion are formed to be engaged in a notched recess of the external wall panels, and wherein the front resilient material comes into close contact with both front inner surfaces of the notched recess of the right and left external wall panels;
• and
• rear resilient materials disposed on a front face of the base plate portion, wherein each of the rear resilient materials is in close contact with a back surface of either the right external wall panel or the left external wall panel.

An external wall constructing method for constructing an external wall construction, the method comprising the steps of:

• installing a securing metal fitting at each of upper and lower side portions of external wall panels of a first column;
• installing either right or left external wall panels of the first column on an underlayment;
• installing a sealing fixture on the underlayment at either a left side portion or a right side portion of either the right or left external wall panels of the first column;
• disposing either left or right external wall panels of a second column on the underlayment so that the sealing fixture is sandwiched between either the right or left external wall panels of the first column and either the left or right external wall panels of the second column and so that the sealing fixture is arranged continuously over a vertical direction of the external wall construction, wherein the securing metal fitting is installed at upper and lower side portions of the external wall panels of the second column;
• disposing a front resilient material so as to engage a front plate portion of the sealing fixture in a notched recess of the right and left external wall panels of both the first and second columns and so that the front resilient material comes into close contact with both front inner surfaces of the notched recess of the right and left external wall panels of both the first and second columns;
• disposing the sealing fixture so that a rear resilient material and the base plate portion are between a back surface of either the right or left external wall panels of the first column and the underlayment and so that the rear resilient material is in close contact with the back surface of either the right or left external wall panels of the first column;
• and
• disposing either the left or right external wall panels of the second column so that the rear surface of either the left or right external wall panels of the second column is in close contact with the rear resilient material of the sealing fixture.