ASTM E2270-03

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Designation:E2270–03
Standard Practice for
Periodic Inspection of Building Facades for Unsafe
Conditions
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 2270; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope C 1394 GuideforIn-SituStructuralSiliconeGlazingEvalu-
ation
1.1 This standard practice describes methods and proce-
E 631 Terminology of Building Constructions
dures for inspection, evaluation and reporting for periodic
E 2128 Guide for Evaluating Water Leakage of Building
inspection of building facades for unsafe conditions. In the
Walls
context of this standard, unsafe conditions are hazards caused
by or resulting from loss of facade material.
3. Terminology
1.2 This standard practice does not purport to address the
3.1 Refer to Terminology E 631.
nature of deterioration of various building facade materials nor
3.2 Definitions:
the performance of their assemblies. It is the responsibility of
3.2.1 facade—all areas on the exterior of the building,
the Specifying Authority requiring the facade inspection to
except for horizontal roof areas. The facade includes all
retain a Qualified Professional who can demonstrate expertise
exterior walls, windows, balconies, cornices, parapets, and
in the evaluation of various facade materials and their assem-
appurtenances. The facade also includes walls supported at
blies.
roof level, such as penthouse walls, chimneys, etc.
1.3 Investigative techniques discussed may be intrusive,
3.2.2 public access area—any sidewalk, street, alley, park,
disruptive, or destructive. It is the responsibility of the Quali-
plaza, playground, schoolyard or other area that is open and
fied Professional to anticipate, and advise on the nature of
accessible to the public, regardless of whether it is publicly or
procedures, and to plan for implementing repair as necessary.
privately owned.
1.4 It is the responsibility of the Specifying Authority to
3.2.3 qualified professional—anArchitect or civil/structural
establish the usage of this standard practice and to supplement
Engineer duly licensed. The Qualified Professional must be
this standard with additional requirements suitable to its local
knowledgeable of the design, construction, and inspection of
jurisdiction. It is also the responsibility of the Specifying
building facades, stability and deterioration mechanisms relat-
Authority to determine compliance with local licensing regu-
ing to the specific materials and assemblies particular to the
lations and customary practices.
facade being inspected.
1.5 This standard may involve hazardous materials, opera-
3.2.4 qualified inspector—a Qualified Professional or a
tions, and equipment. This standard does not purport to
person working under the direct supervision of a Qualified
address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its
Professional.
use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to
3.2.5 maintenance personnel—personnel who have been
establish appropriate safety and health practices and deter-
involved in maintenance of the subject building facades.
mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
3.2.6 owner—the owner, agent, manager, or person in
Awareness of safety and familiarity with safe procedures are
charge, of possession, operation, and/or management of the
particularly important for above-ground operations on facades
building.
and destructive investigative procedures, which typically are
3.2.7 governing authority—the body appointed by the local
associated with the work described.
government, where the subject building is located, having
2. Referenced Documents jurisdiction over the safety of the public and property from
building facade material and/or component failure.
2.1 ASTM Standards:
3.2.8 specifying authority—party requiring inspection of a
building facade.
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E06 on Perfor-
mance of Buildings and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E06.55 on Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.07.
Exterior Building Wall Systems. Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.11.
Current edition approved May 10, 2003. Published July 2003. Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.12.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
E2270–03
3.2.9 levels of facade inspections: 4.2 Need for Periodic Facade Inspections—Due to age,
lack of maintenance, design and/or construction errors, or a
3.2.9.1 general inspection—visual observation of facade
combination of these factors, building facades deteriorate.
components from distances equal to or greater than 6 ft (1.8 m)
Based on the knowledge gained about the performance of
with or without magnification or remote optical devices.
building facades through investigation and research, Govern-
3.2.9.2 detailed inspection—visual observation from less
ing Authorities, Owners, and Qualified Professionals are be-
than6ftandtactileevaluationoffacadecomponents,including
coming more aware of potential unsafe conditions on building
probing and non-destructive testing to observe concealed
facades that if unaddressed, can jeopardize public safety and
conditions of wall construction.
surrounding properties.
3.2.10 probe—disassembly/removal of selective portions of
4.3 Facade Service History—Facades require periodic
a facade to observe concealed conditions of wall construction.
maintenance and repairs to extend their useful life and to
3.2.11 non-destructive testing (NDT)—a test that causes no
minimize and/or correct problems. As a part of any facade
significant structural damage to building components.
inspection, facade service history shall be reviewed because:
3.2.12 facade age—number of years since the original
(1) it may indicate patterns of leakage or other performance
Certificate of Occupancy for building was issued, or since
problems leading to concealed damage and an unsafe condi-
entire facade replacement.
tion; (2) it may show a poorly conceived or improperly
3.2.13 watertight integrity—the means a facade employs to
implemented maintenance or repair procedure that can contrib-
prevent water intrusion to areas or materials where water
ute and aggravate unsafe conditions; and (3) it is necessary to
intrusion is not intended.
distinguish between original construction and subsequent re-
3.2.14 categories of facade conditions:
pairs or modifications during the inspection process and help
3.2.14.1 unsafe condition—aconditionidentifiedatthetime
identify the source of potential problems.
of inspection of a component or system that presents an
4.4 Who Shall Perform the Inspection—Facade Inspection
imminent threat of harm, injury, damage, or loss to persons or
shall be performed by a Qualified Inspector familiar with the
property.
available service history and the available design documents
3.2.14.2 requires repair/stabilization—a condition identi-
relevant to the building facade. The Qualified Inspector shall
fied at the time of inspection that shall be repaired or stabilized
be capable of assessing both the watertight integrity and
in order to prevent progression into an “Unsafe Condition”
exterior conditions of the building facade to evaluate and
prior to the next scheduled inspection.
identifypotentialunsafeconditions.TheQualifiedProfessional
whosealsandsignsthereportshallalsooverseeallworkofthe
NOTE 1—The immediacy of actions to address conditions requiring
Qualified Inspector and the inspection process.
repair other than unsafe conditions is highly variable and should be
determined by the Owner. Such determination may require more detailed
4.5 Facades Requiring Inspection—Those facades as deter-
investigation than addressed herein to assess the urgency of such action.
mined by the Specifying Authority that pose a potential threat
of harm, injury, damage or loss to persons or property.
3.2.14.3 ordinary maintenance—a condition identified at
4.6 Frequency, extent, and the required level of Facade
the time of inspection that is not characterized as an “Unsafe
Inspections are dependent on facade age, material, and con-
Condition” or “Requires Repair/Stabilization,” but requires
struction.
maintenance.
4.7 Observed facade deficiencies shall be categorized and
3.2.15 facade inspection report—a detailed documentation
documented in Facade Inspection Report as “Unsafe Condi-
of Qualified Professional’s findings, observations, discussions,
tion,” “Requires Repair/Stabilization,” or “Ordinary Mainte-
conclusions and recommendations about the subject building
nance.”
facades.
4.8 Limitations—Due to the construction techniques and
3.2.16 facade inspection category—category assigned to
physical properties of the many materials used in facade
buildingfacadebasedonthefacadematerial,construction,age,
construction, and the inherent limitations on detecting con-
and inspection level/extent required, as outlined in Annex A1
cealed facade distress based on limited observation and probes,
of this document.
conducting a facade inspection does not assure that all unsafe
conditions will be identified.
4. Significance and Use
4.1 Intent—This standard practice is intended to establish
FACADE INSPECTION PROCEDURE
the minimum requirements for conducting periodic inspections
of building facades to identify unsafe conditions that could
5. Overview
cause harm to persons and property. It addresses the required
5.1 The following sequence of activities is intended to lead
content of the Facade Inspection to convey to the Specifying
to an accumulation of information in a rational and efficient
Authoritytheconditionofthefacadeandallowcomparisonsof
manner, so that each step enhances and supplements the
facade conditions at other times. Facade Inspection reports
information gathered in the preceding step. Each activity is
conducted and prepared as outlined in this standard practice
discussed in sections below:
will provide Specifying Authorities the information necessary
Section
to mitigate the threat of harm, injury, damage, or loss to
Review of Project Documents 6
persons or property from Unsafe Conditions on subject fa- Preparation of Inspection Drawings 7
Determination of Service History 8
cades.
E2270–03
with the building Owner, maintenance personnel and/or main-
Assessment of Watertight Integrity 9
Facade Inspection 10
tenance contractors, and engineers/architects involved in past
Reporting Procedures for Unsafe Conditions 11
inspections/repairs:
Standard Reporting Procedures 12
8.2.1 Performance problems, such as leaks, rust stains,
Maintenance of Reports 13
Frequency, Extent and the Required Level of Periodic Annex A1
efflorescence, cracking, spalling, bowing, etc,
Inspection of Building Facades for Unsafe Conditions
8.2.2 Prior repairs, noted repeated repairs, and
Detailed Assessment of Water Tightness Integrity of Appendix X1
8.2.3 Previous facade inspection reports.
Exterior Facades
9. Assessment of Watertight Integrity
6. Review of Project Documents
9.1 Qualified Inspector shall perform a cursory interior leak
6.1 Review available project documents provided by the
survey of the exterior facades. The information obtained from
Owner, including original architectural, structural, and shop
the leak survey and from the review of the service history of
drawings.
the facade is useful in selecting locations for Detailed Inspec-
6.2 TheQualifiedInspectorshallverifythatsuchdocuments
tion and probes. If the specifying authorities require a more
pertain to the subject building facades.
thorough assessment, refer to the guidelines in Appendix X1.
6.3 Building facades, especially historic and older build-
ings, may have been detailed in accordance with common
10. Facade Inspection
practices of the time. Such information may be available in
10.1 Facade Inspections are categorized by two levels:
building construction and design reference books dating back
General Inspection, and Detailed Inspection as defined in
to the original construction of the facade.
Section 3 and noted below. A combination of General and
Detailed Inspection is required for a facade inspection. Selec-
7. Preparation of Inspection Drawings
tion of facade inspection level and frequency is dependent
7.1 Prior to beginning the facade inspection, the Qualified
upon the facade age, materials, construction, and service
Inspector shall oversee the acquisition or development of
history of the facade. Unless otherwise determined by the
sufficient drawings for documentation of the inspection find-
Specifying Authority, use Annex A1 to determine scope of
ings.
inspection. Detailed Inspection shall be on areas with greatest
7.2 As a minimum, the following information shall be
exposure and risk to persons or property.
included:
10.2 Documentation—Regardless of the inspection level
7.2.1 Plot plan showing relationship to adjacent properties
selected, document overall appearance of the facade and all
and publicly accessible areas,
significant categorized (Unsafe Conditions, Requires Repair/
7.2.2 Ground level floor plan,
Stabilization, and Ordinary Maintenance) observations on the
7.2.3 Supplemental floor plans if the footprint changes
prepared inspection drawings and by photographs.
between the ground and roof,
10.3 General Inspections—General Inspection is visual ob-
7.2.4 Elevation drawings of the facades to be inspected,
servation of facade components from distances equal to or
7.2.5 Penthouse level/main roof plan, and
greater than 6 ft (1.8 m) with or without magnification or
7.2.6 Typical wall details.
remote optical devices. The Qualified Inspector shall methodi-
7.3 Drawing development using digital photography, per-
cally scan facade areas and check for out-of-plane displace-
spective corrected photography, and/or other photographic
mentoffacadeelementswhilescanningthefacadehorizontally
methods are acceptable as long as the drawings provide a clear
and vertically.
depiction of the facade.
10.4 Detailed Inspection—Based upon the findings of the
7.4 In the case of a facade inspection that is precipitated by
General Inspection, the review of project documents, and the
discovery of an “Unsafe Condition,” the inspection shall not be
service history, the Qualified Inspector shall choose the repre-
delayed to acquire or prepare drawings.
sentative areas to receive Detailed Inspection. Detailed Inspec-
tion is visual observation and tactile evaluation of facade
8. Determination of Service History
components, including probing and NDT to observe concealed
8.1
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