Image courtesy HKS Architecture/Balfour Beatty | McCarthy Joint Venture
These designations cover optional and required laboratory and field tests for various measurable metrics, including:
- acoustic performance;
- air and water leakage;
- thermal performance and condensation resistance;
- durability;
- structural performance; and
- security.
The latter columns in table A2.1 designate whether each test is optional
or mandatory, and mockup or in-situ. In considering whether tests are actually ‘mandatory,’ it is worth discussion with the owner and AOR whether these requirements would lend to satisfying the OPR for the specific project.
Applying the standard to projects
Located in Fort Hood, Texas, the new Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center project includes the design and construction of an 87,980-m2 (947,000-sf), $534-million facility consisting of a six-story hospital, three out-patient clinic buildings, and three parking garages. It will replace the adjacent original 55,740-m2 (600,000-sf) Darnall Hospital (Figure 6).
The hospital serves roughly 45,000 soldiers, as well as nearly 125,000 family members and retirees. An important feature of the new hospital is the approximately 9290-m2 (100,000-sf) clinic dedicated to behavioral health services, which provides mental and physical care for soldiers. The BECx services provided are listed in Figure 7.
Conclusion
There is no doubt there is a growing movement in the construction field toward building enclosure commissioning. The individual components have been around for years, but it seems this most recent push forward by ASTM to compile them into a single standard simplifies the effort necessary to incorporate high-performance building enclosure design into construction specifications.
Merely referencing an ASTM standard in a specification might not convey the design intent for building enclosure. As with any specification, it should be fully developed to clearly identify the qualifications of the BECxA and define project-specific procedures in Part 3.
Stuart Mitchell, PE, is a project manager in the Building Science Group at Pie Consulting and Engineering. He is responsible for design development assistance, plan/specification peer review, and quality assurance field observations related to water management systems, air barriers, vapor retarders, and thermal insulation. Mitchell is involved in field performance testing and diagnostic evaluations of fenestration, curtain walls, and claddings, as well as whole building air barrier testing. He has extensive experience in the development of rehabilitative design documents and project management. Mitchell can be contacted at smitchell@pieglobal.com.
Jeff Crowe, MS, EI, is a senior building science specialist in Pie’s Building Science Group. His responsibilities include design development assistance, plan and specification reviews, quality assurance field observations, building performance testing, and diagnostics on both new and rehabilitation construction projects. Crowe has also served as a restoration and design engineer for a specialty engineering firm, providing design and consulting services for the construction and rehabilitation of concrete parking structures across the United States. He can be reached at jcrowe@pieglobal.com.
