Last week we performed an Air Barrier Test and Thermal Envelope Scan of a federal building at a lock on the Ohio River. Building Envelope Allies provides homeowners, organizations, and government bodies with the tests they need to improve the efficiency of their buildings. By helping customers identify air leakage sites through air barrier testing, Building Envelope Allies helps strengthen buildings and reduce the risk of damage to the buildings’ systems.
Simple is better For an Air Barrier Test
When it comes to building a tightly constructed building, as we witnessed in this building, a simple design makes for improved air barriers and reduces the chance of air leakage. Because this particular building was designed and built in a simple way, it is able to keep air and from entering and leaving the building. The simple design eliminates many hidden chases, bypasses, etc. found in other buildings and the construction company did a great job of air sealing this building.
The required air leakage rate for this project was 0.25cfm@75pa/sf of conditioned building envelope. Our air leakage test was performed to ASTM E1827 and ASTM E779 standards for an air barrier test. This building passed the .25cfm requirement easily and the infrared scan of the building (per ASTM C1060) proved that the building was constructed exceptionally well from an energy efficiency perspective.