SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 17 October 2019
STP161520180023

Benefits of Whole Building Air Leakage Testing for Higher Educational Institutional Buildings

Source

Pressure testing buildings for air leakage has increasingly become the norm for new high-performance buildings, especially for orgnameal owners where risk exposure is magnified in proportion to the size and value of the portfolio. Owners of higher educational academic and residential facilities are among the most demanding owners in terms of exterior standards and compliance requirements. Whole building air leakage testing can provide meaningful insights into whether or not a building meets given air leakage requirements. More meaningful, the process can be instrumental in identifying unseen construction defects with potential to compromise the building’s performance or the health and safety of its occupants. This paper explores the process of whole building air testing, including building preparation, the range of results and their meaning, relative costs and time associated with the test, and a review of kinds of diagnostic information and other benefits the procedure typically reveals. The costs of these efforts will be reviewed against the benefits to owners of private higher educational facilities to provide a decision-making matrix to aid owners in evaluating whether and how best to make use of the available whole building air tests and tools currently available.

Author Information

de Sola, David
3iVE LLC, Somerville, MA, USA
Symonds, Todd
Goody Clancy, Boston, MA, USA
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Details
Developed by Committee: E06
Pages: 191–210
DOI: 10.1520/STP161520180023
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-7676-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-7675-1