Standards & Compliance Briefing: Air Barriers, Polymer Biodegradation, LEED

Carlisle Coatings & Waterproofing’s Fire Resist Barritech NP, Fire Resist 705FR and Barritech VP have completed the Air Barrier Association of America’s Material Evaluation process and are now listed on the association’s website. The testing included ASTM E2178, the Standard Test Method for Air Permeance of Building Materials, to define the amount of air that passed through the material, in addition to other ASTM standards, the association said.

New ASTM International standard D7473, Test Method for Weight Attrition of Plastic Materials in the Marine Environment by Open System Aquarium Incubations, measures the biodegradation rates of polymers. The standard was developed under the ASTM International Committee D20 on Plastics. Primary users of D7473 will be companies that make biodegradable polymers or items that will be disposed of at sea, ASTM said.

Scottish food quality certifiers SFQC have launched a technical assistance program, SFQC Assist, aimed at all food and drink manufacturers in Scotland who want to prepare and become accredited to various certification programs. Programs on offer to the food and drink sector include BRC Food, SALSA, Organic processing, Freedom Foods, QMS processing, ISO 14000, ISO 22000, MSC and IFS standards, the Scotland Food and Drink Association said.

Kuala Lumpur’s Tun Razak Exchange architectural plan has achieved LEED for Neighborhood Development Gold conditional approval. The 70-acre international financial district – which includes a 14-acre public park – in development by 1MDB Real Estate earned the rating for its sustainable impact at the district level. The development is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent and total water demand by 60 percent, and divert 70 percent of waste from landfill, Malaysian news agency Bernama said.

Cornell University’s Human Ecology Building has become the first on campus to receive a LEED Platinum designation. The facility earned 53 points, and is designed to use 32 percent less water and about 47 percent less energy than similar structures. More than 1,050 tons of waste from construction were diverted from disposal in landfills through recycling and reuse, the university said.

Fort Bragg’s new Forces Command and US Army Reserve Command headquarters has earned LEED Gold certification. Features of the 631,000-square-foot building include low-flow toilets, sensor-controlled lighting, educational signs and recycling bins found throughout its offices. Seven buildings on post have LEED certifications, writes the Fay Observer.