Multi-Family Residential

Standards

• Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS)

  Class PB exterior insulation and finish systems installed as the above-grade exterior wall cladding of commercial, institutional, and multifamily buildings. Covers the full layered assembly and both water management classes the building code recognizes: EIFS with drainage, in which a water-resistive barrier on the sheathing and a drained cavity behind the insulation manage incidental water, and barrier EIFS, in which the insulation is adhered directly to the substrate and the finish face carries the water management. Addresses the sheathing substrate the system is applied over, the water-resistive barrier and its relationship to the wall air barrier, the drainage means and drainage efficiency, the expanded polystyrene insulation board and its adhesive or mechanical attachment, the reinforced base coat and the reinforcing mesh impact classes, the finish coat with its type, texture, color, and light reflectance limits, aesthetic reveals, expansion joints, back-wrapping and terminations, the interfaces to flashing and joint sealants, wind load and thermal performance, the surface burning and exterior wall flame propagation requirements that govern a combustible foam plastic cladding, and the mockup, inspection, water testing, and moisture survey that verify the installed wall.

• Gypsum Board Assemblies

  Interior gypsum board partitions, furred walls, and ceilings, and the gypsum sheathing on framed exterior walls, in commercial, institutional, multifamily, and residential buildings. Covers the gypsum panel products by exposure and duty: regular, Type X, and Type C board, sag-resistant ceiling board, mold- and moisture-resistant board, glass-mat faced board, abuse- and impact-resistant board, the wet-area backer boards that carry tile on framed walls, gypsum base for veneer plaster, shaftliner in area separation walls, and glass-mat and paper-faced gypsum sheathing. Covers the nonstructural steel studs, runners, furring, and resilient channels furnished to ASTM C645 and installed to ASTM C754, the suspended and direct-attached ceiling framing that carries gypsum board, deflection heads and partition bracing, in-wall blocking and backing for the trades that hang work on these walls, execution of fire-resistance-rated and sound-rated assemblies to their design numbers, perimeter acoustic sealant and electrical box treatment, fastening, multi-layer application, trim accessories, control joints, joint treatment, levels of finish, and textured finishes.

• Metal Wall Panels

  Exterior metal cladding installed on the above-grade wall enclosure of commercial, institutional, and multifamily buildings. Covers the four principal panel families — factory-foamed insulated metal panels (IMP), single-skin formed and profiled panels, metal composite material panels (MCM/ACM), and flat plate or cassette panels — installed as concealed-fastener or exposed-fastener systems and, where specified, as pressure-equalized or drained-and-back-ventilated rainscreens. Addresses the air, water, structural, thermal, and fire performance the assembly shall demonstrate; the metal substrate and its gauge or thickness; the core and insulation type; the coil and panel finishes with their weathering warranties; the attachment, sub-girt, and support framing; the panel joints and sealants; the interface to flashing, trim, and the air/water barrier behind the panel; and the laboratory and field testing that verifies the installed wall. Addresses the NFPA 285 fire-propagation triggers in the IBC that govern combustible-core panels on Type I through IV construction.

• Wet-Pipe Fire Sprinkler Systems

  Automatic wet-pipe fire sprinkler systems designed under NFPA 13 for commercial, institutional, industrial, high-rise, and multi-family residential buildings, together with the requirements common to every automatic sprinkler system that the dry-pipe and pre-action layers build on. Covers occupancy hazard classification, the design approach, design density and area, hose stream allowance and water supply duration, the water supply basis, pipe arrangement, the hanging and seismic bracing policy for sprinkler piping, sprinkler selection (type, thermal response, temperature rating, K-factor, finish, and corrosion resistance), flexible sprinkler connections, the wet-pipe riser, floor and zone control assemblies, alarm and supervisory provisions, freeze-exposed pockets on a wet system, acceptance testing, warranty, and the spare sprinkler cabinet.

All topics →