Office of Construction & Facilities Management

Special Requirements

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Topics found on this page:

• Asbestos
• CBOC Prototype
• Commissioning Process
• Dialysis, Freestanding Outpatient Center
• Environmental Planning Guidance
• Fire & Safety
• Innovative 21st Century Building Environments for VA Healthcare Delivery
• Metric
• Physical Security & Resiliency
• Plaques & Seals
• Retro-Commissioning Process
• Signage and Wayfinding
• Tuberculosis Facility Guidance
• VA Hospital Building System Development Study 

Asbestos

• Asbestos Abatement Specifications
• Asbestos Abatement Design Manual
• VA Asbestos Directives and Handbook

CBOC Prototype

Prototype for Standardized Design and Construction of Community Based Outpatient Clinics

• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Project Narrative
• Programs for Design
• Planning Components and Modules
• Proposed Layouts
• Equipment Layouts
• VA Test and Fit Programs for Design
• Off-Site Construction Methods and Impact Introduction
• Appendix

Commissioning Process

• Whole Building Commissioning Process Manual
• compressed file with Cx Appendix templates in Word and Excel
  • Summary of Changes
• link to FTP site with Commissioning Manual and Appendix templates

Also see Retro Commissioning Process
and Natl Cemetery Admin Commissioning Process

Dialysis, Freestanding Outpatient Centers

• Program For Design
• Space Matrix
• Bubble Diagrams
  • 12 Station
  • 16 Station
  • 20 Station
  • 24 Station
  • 28 Station
  • 32 Station
  • 36 Station
• Guide Plates
• Project Room Contents
  • 12 Station
  • 16 Station
  • 20 Station
  • 24 Station
  • 28 Station
  • 32 Station
  • 36 Station

Environmental Planning Guidance (PG-18-17)

• NEPA Interim Guidance for Projects replaces Environmental Compliance Manual, July 1998

Fire & Safety

• Advisory Committee on Structural Safety of VA Facilities
• Fire Protection Design Manual
• Scope of Services for Fire Protection Engineer
• Construction Projects Fire Code Compliance Process
• A/E Design Submission Requirements/Instructions
• Specifications:
  • 10 44 13 - Fire Extinguisher Cabinets
  • 28 31 00 - Fire Detection and Alarm
  • 01 00 00 - General Requirements
  • 21 12 00 - Fire - Supression Standpipes
  • 21 13 13 - Wet - Pipe Sprinkler Systems
• A/E Review Checklists
• Design Manuals

Innovative 21st Century Building Environments for
  VA Healthcare Delivery

• Executive Summary
• Part One
• Part Two

Lighting Study

• LED and Conventional Lighting Systems Comparison Study
• Drawings
• Appendix A - Cutsheets (38MB)

Metric

• VA Directive 0100 Metric Transition Plan Implementation and Guidance
• VA Handbook 0100 Metric Transition Plan (Implementation Procedures)
• Metric Guide for Federal Construction
• M2, Metric Design Guide
• Newsletters
  • Mar-Apr 1994
  • Jan-Feb 1994
  • Nov-Dec 1993
  • Sep-Oct 1993
  • Jul-Aug 1993
  • May-Jun 1993
  • Mar-Apr 1993
  • Jan-Feb 1993
  • Nov-Dec 1992
  • Sep-Oct 1992
  • Jul-Aug 1992
  • May 1992

Physical Security & Resiliency

Compliance Date: All projects that are in design at the effective date of the manual but have not concluded the 35% design milestone (defined as Schematic Design or SD2) must incorporate the requirements of this manual.  Implementations for projects that have completed the 35% design milestone are at the discretion of the Project Delivery Team considering cost and schedule implications.  

Design Manual - January 2015 - Summary of Changes

• Life Safety Protected Facilities
• Mission Critical Facilities
• Appendix A
  • Security Door Opening Matrix
  • Standard Security Door Types
  • Security Door Opening Schedule
• Appendix B - Security System Application Matrix
• VA CFM Design Alerts

Design Manual - Final Draft - July 2007

• Life-Safety Protected Facilities
• Mission Critical Facilities 

Other Documents:

• VA Directive 0730 - Security and Law Enforcement
• VA Physical Security Lessons Learned (25 MB)
• NIBS Physical Security Report - 2002

Plaques & Seals

• VA Facilities Dedication Plaques and Seals Procurement - Procurement, inscription, and cost information for obtaining VA dedication plaques and seals
• Plaques Details and Contracting Information

  Number	Title	DWG	PDF
  SD101400-03	Exterior Seals Detail	DWG	PDF
  SD101400-04	Dedication Plaque Standard Detail	DWG	PDF
  SD101400-05	Dedication Plaque Detail Notes	DWG	PDF

• Color Specifications for the Department of Veterans Affairs Seal - Color Identification - Pantone Matching System (PMS)

Retro-Commissioning Process

• Retro-Commissioning Process Manual
• compressed file with Retro-Cx Appendixes in PDF and Word
• link to FTP site with Retro-commissioning Manual and Appendixes

Signage

This section contains the VA Signage Design Guide. The PDF files located here contain visual illustrations and specifications for signs that are used at VA facilities, and are inherently graphical in nature. Please visit our FTP site if you have trouble downloading these large files, where single section files as well as a 45MB compressed file containing all sections are located.

• Summary of Changes in 12/2012 edition
• 01-Introduction, Acknowledgments & Design Elements 
  • Change Summary for Section 01
• 02-Need a New Sign Program
• 03-Room Renumbering
• 04-Exterior Signs
• 05-Parking Structure Signs
• 06-Parking Lot Signs
• 07-Mandatory VA Policy Signs
• 08-Code and Life Safety Signs
  • Change Summary for Section 08
• 09-Interior Signs
• 10-"You Are Here" Maps and Directories
• 11-Specialty Signs
  • Change Summary for Section 11
• 12-Cemetery Signs
• 13-Glossary
• 14-Appendix
• VA Signage Artwork (compressed Adobe Illustrator file)

Tuberculosis Facility Guidance

• CDC Guidelines for TB Transmission Prevention in Health Care Settings *
• HVAC Design Manual for Hospital Projects; Chapter 3 - HVAC Requirements for Occupied Areas; Chapter 3.22 - TB Criteria

VA Hospital Building System Development Study

The VA Hospital Building System (VAHBS) has been used successfully on many VA projects over the years.  Certain elements of this system have evolved; steel structures, instead of concrete, are often used, and minor changes in the organization and an increase in the number and overall height of sub zones for various disciplines have been implemented.  The original study was completed in 1972 and revised in 1977.  Each file may be downloaded separately, or the entire study may be downloaded via compressed file (22MB). To receive a copy, please download from our FTP site at http://downloads.va.gov/files/CFM-TIL/vahbs/

• VA Hospital Building Study - Introduction
• VA Hospital Building Study - Volume 1
• VA Hospital Building Study - Volume 2
• VA Hospital Building Study - Volume 3
• VA Hospital Building Study - Cost Per Square Foot Comparison Study
• VA Hospital Building Study - Supplement
• VA Hospital Building Study - Supplement - Appendix A
• VA Hospital Building Study - Supplement - Appendix B
• VA Hospital Building Study - Supplement - Appendix C

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