A Case Study of the Health and Wellness Building at Anne Arundel Community College
The introduction of LEED v4.0 changed how Building Envelope Commissioning (BECx) played a role in achieving certification in the LEED framework. BECx implementation is most often driven by an owner focused on long-term quality performance. However, it is becoming more common for model code, local jurisdictions, governmental agencies, and third-party sustainability programs to require BECx, or portions of it for compliance. By introducing the enhanced commissioning credit in LEED v4.0 it introduced BECx to achieve a more sustainable building. BECx has the potential to provide short- and long-term value from project conception to building occupancy by mitigating risk relative to the building envelope including but not limited to: occupant comfort; indoor environmental quality (IEQ); heat, air and moisture control; moisture accumulation and condensation resistance; and code compliance in the design and construction phases.
ECS applied the BECx process to the construction of the Health and Wellness Building at Anne Arundel Community College Campus (AACC), a three-story,175,000 square-foot building that includes an auditorium, a gymnasium and classroom space. Our team provided services throughout the design and construction phases on this project to work through items such as complex detailing, mock-up testing, and construction challenges. This article examines two instances where the BECx process was able to provide value to the project.
To verify the intended performance of the building envelope, an off-building mock-up was used to perform testing of the systems prior to on-building assembly. During construction of the mock-up, it was identified that the brick relieving angle above the windows posed challenges to accessing seals and the perimeter window condition for detailing based on the architectural drawings. This challenge was confirmed through testing and showed discontinuities in the systems behind the relieving angle. Identification of these potential impacts to the building envelope prior to building construction, allowed for the project team to work through them without causing delays to the construction schedule.
Through periodic Quality Assurance Observations (QAO) during the construction phase, it was identified that the designed metal angles intended to support window heads were installed across areas where bump outs would be constructed. The original design intent was for these angles to stop at the bump out locations, however, for ease of construction the contractor continued the angle across the top of the bump out requiring modifications to the architectural detail. Through ECS’ quality assurance process, a revised detail was developed to mitigate the risk of water and air intrusion in these systems.
Using these testing and verification techniques, the project achieved two points for BECx in the Enhanced Commissioning credit, which helped the project achieve LEED Gold status overall. Water and air infiltration issues were not reported at the 10-month warranty site visit. Through active involvement of the BECx team throughout the project lifecycle, the outcome was a high-value and long performing building that will serve Anne Arundel Community College students and faculty for years to come.
Lisa Russell is Facilities Associate III and Evan Landis is Senior Project Engineer at ECS.
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