Verifying Building Enclosure Performance During an Active Facility Renovation

Technical Assurance partnered with Heapy Engineering to provide building enclosure commissioning performance testing for the renovation of The Ohio State University’s 700 Ackerman Building. The approximately 108,000-square-foot, $21.8 million renovation created consolidated office and call center space supporting Wexner Medical Center Central Scheduling & Customer Service, Health Plan, Corporate Operations, Hospital Compliance, and OSU Physicians.

Throughout construction, the facility had to remain operational and maintain public access, adding another consideration as renovation and enclosure testing activities progressed.

Evaluating Critical New-to-Existing Transitions

A key building enclosure challenge involved the installation of new windows and curtain wall systems where they interfaced with the existing brick façade. Because the existing brick did not have a weather barrier behind it, these transitions required careful evaluation to verify continuity and performance of the renovated enclosure.

Technical Assurance performed air and water leakage testing across multiple enclosure components and transitions, including aluminum storefront, curtain wall, ribbon windows, air barriers, roofing membrane transitions, and window assemblies. Sealant adhesion testing was also performed at critical air barrier, transition membrane, and substrate interfaces.

Testing Installed Systems for Air and Water Performance

Performance testing provided objective verification of installed enclosure systems and their interfaces with existing construction. In addition to air and water infiltration testing, Technical Assurance performed electronic leak detection of the roofing system to evaluate membrane integrity.

The 700 Ackerman renovation was completed in May 2019, providing updated space for multiple Ohio State and Wexner Medical Center operations while maintaining facility access throughout construction.