USACE Air Barrier Testing

USACE Air Barrier Testing with Systems Building Envelope Consultants

USACE Air Barrier Testing of the Building Enclosure is Critical to Maximize a Building’s Energy Efficiency

The USACE (United States Army Corps of Engineers) has adopted an air tightness standard requiring all buildings to be tested and subsequently pass a stringent building air tightness test. Modern buildings need to meet more stringent air leakage standards and it is our belief that these standards force designers and constructors to be increasingly conscious of the buildings’ air barriers and related construction components. Engineers are using smaller allowances for air leaks in their HVAC systems. Testing larger buildings for air tightness requires multiple blower doors working in unison, in conjunction with guarded pressure zones, to measure the leakage rate of the building enclosure.

SYSTEMS owns and utilizes the latest technology, in combination with multiple blower doors, to measure the air leakage through the building enclosure. This is in accordance with ASTM E779 methodologies as well as the USACE Building Air Tightness Testing protocol. We are trained and experienced in providing the Large Building Air Tightness Tests and have conducted hundreds of tests on a multitude of building types.

SYSTEMS building science specialists are familiar with the newly enacted USACE air barrier testing and diagnostic requirements. We have been retained across the country for construction consulting, air barrier plan review, air barrier testing and diagnostic building evaluations in compliance with the USACE air barrier performance testing. In fact, Paul Beavers, our senior building science specialist is one of the contributors to the newly soon to be enacted revised USACE Building Air Tightness Testing Protocol, which is the guide for testing company’s nationwide. The ABAA Whole Building Air Tightness Testing Committee which formed the revised protocol is currently working on creating an ASTM standard for Building Air Tightness testing.

We are qualified building analysts through the widely recognized Building Performance Institute (BPI) and have been properly trained for the air tightness testing protocols per the requirements of the USACE.

We encourage our clients to establish the proper air barrier(s) early in the commercial building process - at the design stage. We offer 1) design and peer review, 2) site visits to verify compliance, and 3) ASTM E 783-02 as confidence tests prior to performing the building air tightness testing in accordance with ASTM E 1827 (2002) and ASTM E 779 (2003).