Standardization News

ASTM International’s building performance committee (E06) is developing a proposed standard (WK70955) that will help evaluate potential impacts of changes to the thermal and moisture properties of roof assemblies and the conditioning of space below roof decks.  

Specifically, the standard could help evaluate steep-sloped roof assemblies after:

• adding insulation;
• making alterations in drying potential, ventilation, thermal or vapor resistance; and/or
• changing the interior environment beneath the assembly.

“Energy conservation is a growing concern for existing buildings, whether constructed a few years ago or a historically significant structure. Many of these buildings were originally constructed with uninsulated and unconditioned attics and roofs, but changing the roof assembly without understanding how the existing assembly operates can have major consequences to the structure,” says ASTM International member Rex Cyphers, a consulting engineer with WDP & Associates.

Cyphers notes that, without a proper evaluation, changes could have serious negative impacts on the integrity of the existing roof assembly or the supporting structure as well as creating condensation andmoisture-related issues.

The proposed standard would give designers and builders guidance on how to properly evaluateproposed modifications in order to avoid negative repercussions of those modifications, he says. 

Owners and building professionals are encouraged to help develop the new standard. Become a member of ASTM. The next meeting of ASTM International’s performance of buildings committee is March 30-April 1, in Boston (Massachusetts, USA).