In 1922, the original Arlington Social Work building started as a high school. Over 40 years later, it was sold to the University of Texas at Arlington – School of Social Work and became a therapy clinic for the Arlington community. As time passed, it became known as a top training facility for social workers, but the aging facility, which was nearing 100 years, was beginning to fail structurally. Fearing the building might risk a collapse, the UT System Board of Regents green-lighted the funding for a new building in 2019.
Z6’s Pre-Construction Services Laid Solid Foundations
Z6’s pre-construction services for the new facility included peer reviews of project drawings and specifications to ensure the project was built on a feasible, practical, and safe premise. Indeed, each project drawing is checked for high quality since they are crucial to every step of the building process.
In total, Z6 performed five reviews, including one review at SD phase, two peer reviews of all project drawings and specifications at the DD phase and two more at the CD phase.
Quality and Safety
Once the construction phase was underway, the main focus became quality assurance every step of the way. For ten months, Z6 experts performed two QA/QC site visits per week. The aim at this stage was to reduce defect and re-work rates and improve productivity. Furthermore, daily field reports kept everyone up to date on the activities observed and recorded.
Extensive Testing During The Commissioning Phase
During this last construction phase, Z6’s ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation played an important role. Various tests had to be done to ensure that all the project subsystems integrated into the desired final vision, including structural integrity, safety, and other specification requirements.
ASTM E1105/AMMA 501.2 Water Tests
To ensure that the building’s envelope was as secure as possible against water intrusion, Z6 services included ASTM E1105 and AMMA 501.2 procedures scheduled on a total of nine window specimens, measuring up to 100 square feet each.
Testing occurred at three different stages. Three ASTM E1105 tests were performed at the 10 percent, 30 percent, and 70 percent mark of the project’s completion. This was also done before the installation of all the interior finishes was finalized. Each testing phase ran for approximately three days, during which three windows were tested, tallying 9 in total at the completion time. Running concurrently with the ASTM E1105 tests, ZSC also performed AAMA 501.2 testing with each 3-day mobilization.
ASTM E779 Air Leakage Testing
Z6 also offers an inspection service called the ASTM E779 procedure. In the case of the new UT Arlington school, the test was used to secure a total of 155,109 square feet against air leakage.
As with all projects of this size that require ASTM E779 testing, Z6 was also prepared, just in case a test specimen didn’t meet the air leakage standard, to undertake an ASTM E1186 forensic investigation utilizing a smoke test.
Ready for The New Spring Semester
After years of development, the new building is nearing completion, and classes will start in the spring of 2023. We are proud to have contributed our experience and experts to such a worthy institution that exists to serve and protect the community of Arlington.
Visit our website for updates on this project and others. Contact us today to learn more about how Z6 can help ensure a successful project for your company.
