New ASHRAE Standard Guides Designers in Moisture Control Measures

In order to continue to fight building damage and other problems caused by mold and moisture, ASHRAE has released a new building standard. The ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 160, Criteria for Moisture-Control Design Analysis in Buildings will provide guidance on how to best design buildings with adequate moisture control features, including formulating design assumptions for moisture design analysis and criteria for acceptable performance.

Although mold and moisture are not as frequently headline-problems as they once were, they still can cause grave problems in structures. This standard will help prevent those problems in the design stage.

“If the designer elects to perform a design moisture analysis, the standard requires he or she to think about the interior conditions that will be maintained in the building and the effect that may have on the building envelope,” Anton TenWolde, chair of the committee that wrote the standard, said. “The standard provides a methodology for the first time to make consistent design recommendations, such as the need, type, and placement of vapor barriers in any climate.”

The cost of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 160-2009, Criteria for Moisture-Control Design Analysis in Buildings, which will also introduce criteria on how to handle rain, wind, and other exterior moisture weather loads, is $39 ($33 for ASHRAE members).

For more information, or to order the standard, please visit www.ashrae.org/bookstore.