Who carries out the tests?

Usually an independent test laboratory, with the facade consultant and the client's team witnessing and approving the result before production, as the project specification requires.

Does passing the tests mean a facade will never leak?

No. The tests check a sample, at set pressures, at one point in time. Site workmanship, building movement and ageing of seals are separate questions, which is why specifications often add on-site and long-term checks.

Are test reports available for Fenza systems?

Test reports are issued by the testing laboratory against the approved project mock-up. Fenza Facade Engineering is newly established, so please ask us about the status of reports for a particular system rather than assuming they exist.

Testing

How a facade is proven to perform.

Before a facade goes into production, a full-size sample is built and tested. Three tests answer three questions: does air get through, does water get through, and does it stand up to the wind?

The starting point

It starts with a mock-up.

A mock-up is a full-size sample of a representative part of the facade, built from the approved shop drawings with the real profiles, glass, gaskets, sealants and fixings. It usually includes typical corners, joints and the connection to a slab edge, because that is where problems tend to be.

Visual mock-up

Agrees how the facade will look: colour, finish, proportions and joint lines.

Performance mock-up

Tested in a laboratory against the project specification. This is where the three tests below are carried out.

The facade consultant and the client's team typically review the drawings, witness the tests and approve the result before production begins.

The three tests

Usually run in this order.

The order follows the severity of the test: the gentlest first, so the sample is still in good condition for the next. The project specification sets the pressures, the durations and what counts as a pass.

Air leakage ASTM E283

How much air leaks through the closed facade when there is a pressure difference across it?

How it is done: The sample is sealed into one side of a test chamber. A fan raises or lowers the air pressure in the chamber to a set level, and the airflow needed to hold that pressure is measured. That flow is the leakage.
What is recorded: Leakage as airflow per square metre of facade, or per metre of joint, at the specified pressure.
Why it matters: Leaky joints waste energy, let in noise and dust, and can be the path that carries moisture into the wall.

Glossary: ASTM E283 →

Water penetration ASTM E331

Does water get through when wind is pushing rain against the facade?

How it is done: Water is sprayed evenly over the outer face while a fan holds a steady pressure difference across the sample, pushing the water inwards like wind-driven rain. Observers on the inside watch for leaks.
What is recorded: Whether, where and at what pressure any water gets through, judged against the pass criteria in the specification.
Why it matters: Water is the failure building owners notice first. Finding a leaking joint on a mock-up is a drawing change; finding it on site is rework on every floor.

Glossary: ASTM E331 →

Structural and wind load ASTM E330

Does the facade hold up under wind pressure, and how much does it bend?

How it is done: Air pressure is applied in steps, both pushing in (wind pressure) and pulling out (suction), up to the design wind load and, in many specifications, a higher proof load. Gauges on the framing record how far it deflects.
What is recorded: Deflection at each step, and any permanent set once the load is removed, judged against the limits in the specification.
Why it matters: Wind loads on a tall building are large. The test checks that mullions, transoms, glass and fixings behave as the calculations say, and that the glass and seals are never overstressed.

Glossary: ASTM E330 →

Then, often, again

Many specifications repeat the air and water tests after the structural load, to confirm that nothing opened up under pressure. They can also add dynamic water tests, building-movement tests, and checks on the installed facade on site.

Standards

The names you will see.

Test standards by what they measure
What it measures	ASTM test	European classification
Air leakage	ASTM E283	EN 12207
Water penetration	ASTM E331	EN 12208
Structural and wind load	ASTM E330	EN 12210

Indian projects also refer to IS 1948, the Bureau of Indian Standards specification for aluminium doors, windows and ventilators. Which standards apply, in which edition and at what pressures, is set per project by the specification and the facade consultant.

Working with Fenza

Testing is part of the specification.

The standards, pressures and pass criteria for each project come from the project specification and the facade consultant. Fenza fabricates to that specification, and test reports are issued by the testing laboratory against the approved mock-up.

This page explains the tests. It is not a statement of Fenza's test results. Fenza Facade Engineering is newly established, so ask us about the status of reports for a particular system.

Ask about a system Quality & safety

Common questions

About facade testing

What is a facade mock-up?: A full-size sample of a representative part of the facade, built from the approved shop drawings with the real profiles, glass, gaskets, sealants and fixings. A performance mock-up is tested in a laboratory; a visual mock-up is used to agree how the facade will look.
In what order are the tests done?: Usually air leakage first, then water penetration, then the structural test. Many specifications repeat the air and water tests after the structural load, to confirm that nothing opened up. The project specification sets the order and the pressures.
Who carries out the tests?: Usually an independent test laboratory, with the facade consultant and the client's team witnessing and approving the result before production, as the project specification requires.
Does passing the tests mean a facade will never leak?: No. The tests check a sample, at set pressures, at one point in time. Site workmanship, building movement and ageing of seals are separate questions, which is why specifications often add on-site and long-term checks.
Are test reports available for Fenza systems?: Test reports are issued by the testing laboratory against the approved project mock-up. Fenza Facade Engineering is newly established, so please ask us about the status of reports for a particular system rather than assuming they exist.

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