LeChase sponsored the May Lunch-N-Learn session at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) project. Attendees included CMS personnel, as well as a variety of construction managers – including Edifice, BEK, Rodgers, Metcon, Balfour Beatty, Turner and Barnhill – that are involved on present or future projects for the district. The session addressed the district’s more stringent air-tightness standards, which are being phased in over a five-year period to improve energy efficiency, reduce moisture infiltration, improve humidity control and in general make buildings more durable. Megan McDermott of High Performance Building Solutions – which does a number of blower door tests to measure air tightness for consultants who work under the district’s Capital Services Group – was the speaker. Megan shared examples of how design and/or materials installations in a variety of areas could be improved or changed to meet the increased standards, which go from a requirement of less than or equal to 0.25 cfm per square foot of exterior envelope for new construction in 2014, to a requirement of 0.15 cfm by 2018. Megan provided new insights into the testing, and emphasized the importance of inspecting work during installation.
