Section 2.04 - General Site and School Construction StandardsThe Eligible Applicant shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure that an Approved Project, including those for the expansion or renovation of an existing building, meet all applicable federal, state, local and regional building code requirements. It shall be the responsibility of the Eligible Applicant to ensure compliance with all such building code requirements, and the Authority shall bear no responsibility for an Eligible Applicant's failure to comply with said requirements.
(1)Design and Construction Standards: General.(a) Projects shall reflect cost-effective design, material, and finish decisions consistent with good architecture and engineering practice, high quality construction, and the requirements of the Authority.(b) To the extent possible, projects shall reflect attention to current and future-oriented technological practices for students, faculty, and school staff.(c) The Authority prohibits an Eligible Applicant from utilizing chlorofluorocarbon-based (CFC) refrigerants in any new system for building heating, ventilating, air conditioning, or refrigeration.(d) All new construction and reconstruction projects shall meet applicable local ordinances for recycling space and provide space within the building that is dedicated to the separation, collection, and storage of materials for recycling, including, at a minimum, paper (white ledger and mixed), cardboard, glass, plastics, aluminum cans, and metals.(e) Construction of new school facilities shall, whenever possible, be oriented on the site in order for the building to maximize natural daylight for classroom spaces.(f) The Authority may issue minimum and maximum guidelines and standards for the sustainability of Approved Projects, including school building design guidelines which provide guidelines for design, energy efficiency, materials, finishes, life cycle cost analysis, and systems selections.(g) Approved Projects shall have a project identification sign on the construction site during the period of construction. Said sign shall be at least four feet by eight feet in size, shall be visible from the primary roadway adjoining the site, and shall include the following: "This project funded in part by the Massachusetts School Building Authority.(h) On all Approved Projects involving the construction of a new school facility, the new school facility shall be designed and constructed to include:1. interior daylighting and views in classrooms by locating all classrooms identified in the approved Design and Educational Program on exterior walls, except computer rooms, music rooms, digital art rooms, technology rooms, small resource rooms, small laboratories, and other classrooms where daylighting and location on an exterior wall are not appropriate or necessary because of the nature of the classroom;2. a glazed area for each classroom identified in the approved Design and Educational Program that is determined to require daylighting pursuant to subsection (i), totaling not less than five percent (5%) of the net floor area of the classroom and which shall be located to provide outdoor views at both standing and sitting heights; and3. glare control devices, where applicable, to avoid high-contrast conditions that could impede visual tasks, but such glare control devices shall be constructed only when necessary and if the Designer has determined that glare control devices are the only way to prevent glare.(2)Design and Construction Standards: Indoor Air Quality. An Eligible Applicant shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure suitable indoor air quality in an Approved Project. Without regard to any other contract provisions, an Eligible Applicant shall meet the following indoor air quality requirements, to the extent that they apply to an Approved Project, as determined by the Authority.(a) New heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems shall meet the minimum ventilation rate requirements of American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 62.1, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality, in effect at time of project approval.(b) New heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems shall comply with ASHRAE standard 55 for thermal comfort within established ranges per climate zone, in effect at time of project approval, except that winter humidification and summer dehumidification shall not be required.(c) Eligible Applicants shall implement containment procedures for dusts, gases, fumes, and other pollutants created during construction of an Approved Project if the building is occupied by students, teachers or school department staff while such renovation and construction is occurring. Such containment procedures shall be consistent with the "IAQ Guidelines for Occupied Buildings Under Construction" published by the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association, Inc. (SMACNA), in effect at time of project approval. All bids and proposals received for an Approved Project shall include the cost of planning and execution of containment of construction/renovation pollutants consistent with such SMACNA guidelines.(d) On all Approved Projects involving the installation of new ductwork, HVAC supply and the return openings shall be sealed to protect them from dust infiltration during construction. Procedures shall be consistent with the "Duct Cleanliness for New Construction Guidelines" published by SMACNA, in effect at the time of project approval relative to advanced levels of cleanliness which provide in part that ductwork shall be sealed when transported to the construction site; ductwork shall be stored in clean, dry conditions and kept sealed while stored; internal surfaces of ductwork shall be wiped-down immediately prior to installation to remove dust; open ends on completed ductwork and overnight work-in-progress shall be sealed; and uninstalled ductwork shall be protected from construction dust using surface wrapping.(e) Filtration media in ventilation equipment shall be replaced with new media immediately prior to occupancy. Filtration media shall have a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) such that mold spores and similarly sized particles are excluded from supply air intakes.(f) In spaces where chemical use will occur, including housekeeping areas, chemical mixing areas, copying/print rooms, and vocational spaces, partitions shall extend from the top of finished floor to the underside of the floor or roof deck above and shall be provided with a dedicated outside exhaust at a rate of at least 0.50 cubic feet per minute per square foot, no air recirculation, and adequate make up air. These spaces shall have negative air pressure, providing an outside exhaust at a rate of at least 0.50 cubic feet per minute per square foot. The spaces shall maintain a negative pressure of at least 5 Pa (0.02 inches of water gauge) to a minimum of 1 Pa (0.004 inches of water) compared to their immediate environment, when their doors are closed.(g) Each new building entrance shall be provided with a two-part walk-off mat system to capture dirt, particulates and moisture. Part one of the system shall include a drop through mat within the vestibule. Part two shall include a walk-off mat in the entrance way of a minimum length of 15 feet. The Eligible Applicant shall not install drain pans or traps in the vestibule.(h) Electric ignitions shall be provided for all gas-fired equipment including water heaters, boilers, air-handling units, and cooking stoves.(i) Where feasible, outside air intake openings shall be located a minimum of 25 feet from any hazard or noxious contaminants such as chimneys, plumbing vents, cooling towers, streets, alleys, parking lots and loading docks. The distance between exhaust air or vent outlets and air intakes shall be the greater of 25 feet or the distance as determined by 780 CMR: Massachusetts State Building Code, in effect at the time of project approval. When locating an air intake within 25 feet of a contaminant source is unavoidable, such opening shall be a minimum of two feet below the contaminant source and ten feet horizontally from the nearest edge of the air intake to the nearest edge of the contaminant source. All intakes shall be six feet above landscaped grade including soil, lawn, shrubs, or any plant life within 1.5 feet horizontally of intake.(j) During construction of an Approved Project, building materials, especially gypsum wallboard, wood, porous insulation, paper, and fabric, shall be kept dry to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria. Stored materials shall be covered to prevent rain damage, and if resting on the ground, spacers shall be employed as necessary to allow air to circulate between the ground and the materials. Water damaged materials shall be dried within 24 hours. Materials that are damp or wet for more than 24 hours, except non-porous materials such as metal, shall be removed from the site. Materials showing signs of mold and mildew shall be immediately removed from the site and properly dispose of, including any with moisture stains. Moldy materials shall be replaced with new, undamaged materials.(k) Eligible Applicants shall furnish permanent signage on the school site discouraging the idling of vehicles beyond a period of five minutes, in accordance with the statute governing stopped motor vehicles, M.G.L. c. 90, § 16A.