Part L Air Leakage Revisions - Are You Ready To Comply?

Changes to Part L of the building regulations, which came into force on 6th April, have major implications for the design and construction of buildings. Air leakage testing has become a legal requirement for all buildings regardless of floor area. Air leakage generally occurs at interfaces between the components of the building envelope or where penetrations of the air barrier occur. The new regulations are designed to ensure that building envelopes have a continuous air barrier to minimise air leakage. The responsibility for ensuring compliance will often lie with more than one contractor or sub-contractor and it is essential that all parties involved in the design and construction work together to conform with the new legislation. Under the new regulations, the poorest acceptable air permeability will be 10m3/hr.m2at a test pressure of 50Pa. Many buildings will need to achieve a lower leakage rate to prove compliance. "Air leakage testing for Part L compliance will be compulsory for all buildings and must be carried out by a suitably qualified person," said Dr Holger Garden (EurIng CEng MICE ICIOB PhD MEng), manager of business development at Taylor Woodrow's Technology Centre at Leighton Buzzard. "Taylor Woodrow Construction is the only major UK based construction company that operates a research and development facility and is one of the UK's leading air leakage testing facilities. We provide a wide range of services to support construction sites and, as an ATTMA member, we are ideally placed to offer advice to help contractors comply with the new Part L regulations." The Air Tightness Testing and Measurement Association (ATTMA) has been established to promote excellence in air tightness testing and to raise awareness of the impact that envelope air leakage has on building energy usage and performance. Members are all UKAS accredited. Further information can be obtained from the Taylor Woodrow Technology Centre Technical Helpline on 01525 859148. Footnotes: Taylor Woodrow's Technology Centre is a unique facility covering the entire built environment, offering services ranging from engineering advice to UKAS accredited testing laboratories. The multi-disciplinary team delivers business focused R&D, promoting innovation, the capture of best practice and value-engineered solutions. Areas of expertise include Testing for evaluation and compliance with building regulations Environmental, sustainability and geotechnical Building pathology CDM and legal compliance Collaborative working

Taylor Woodrow Construction is a subsidiary of Taylor Woodrow Plc. Taylor Woodrow Construction's primary business is in repeat services for 'Blue Chip' clients, facilities management, Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs) and expert support to Taylor Woodrow's housing development operations. Taylor Woodrow plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the year ending 31 December 2005 revenue increased to [pounds sterling]3.5 billion. Please Note: The views expressed by our contributors are not necessarily those of CJ Connect, Contract Journal or Mondaq Ltd.

Hasliman Taylor PR

Birmingham

UNITED KINGDOM

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