Airtightness
"Build tight—ventilate right" to reduce uncontrolled air infiltration
- good practice standard for building air leakage rate (3)
- independent airtightness advisor and air barrier manager (particularly for larger projects) (4 - page 4)
- identification of the line of the air barrier (at an early stage in the design process) (4 - page 4)
- airtight interfaces between components/elements that are part of separate site works packages (4 - page 4)
- information for the site management team on the location and importance of the air barrier (4 - page 4)
- information for site operatives carrying out airtightness critical works (tool box talks) (4 - page 4)
- inspection of integrity & continuity of the air barrier (before it becomes inaccessible) (4 - page 4)
- airtightness test by competent testing body (a pre-test visit to site is recommended for larger sites) (4 - page 4)
- draught lobbies (1 - section DS2)
- automatic/revolving doors (1 - section DS2)
- well sealed windows and doors (1 - section DS2)
- draught stripping and sealing of service ducts, voids and cavities (1 - section DS2)
- curtained/rapid closing service/goods entrances (1 - section DS2)
Reference Documents
| Series Number | Publisher | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | COP 6/99 | BSRIA | Environmental Code of Practice for Buildings and their Services |
| 2 | Carbon Trust | Focus - the manager's guide to reducing energy bills | |
| 3 | TM23 | CIBSE | Testing buildings for air leakage |
| 4 | GBG 67 | BRE | Achieving airtightness general principles |