Office of Construction & Facilities Management
Special Topic Criteria

TIL Feedback - we welcome your suggestions at til@va.gov
- Architectural Accessibility
- Asbestos
- Cemetery Design Criteria
- Commissioning Process
- Environmental Planning Guidance
- Fire & Safety
- Grant Programs
- Harm Prevention
- Healing Environments
- Innovative 21st Century Building Environments for VA Healthcare Delivery
- Metric
- Physical Security & Resiliency
- Plaques & Seals
- Prototypes, CBOC, Dialysis, Small House
- Retro-Commissioning Process
- Room Finishes, Door & Hardware Schedule
- Safe Patient Handling & Mobility (coming soon)
- Seismic Design
- Signage and Wayfinding
- Sustainable Design
- Tuberculosis Facility Guidance
- VA Hospital Building System Development Study
Asbestos
- Asbestos Abatement Specifications
- Asbestos Abatement Design Manual
- VA Asbestos Directives and Handbook
Commissioning Process
- Whole Building Commissioning Process Manual
- compressed file with Cx Appendix templates in Word and Excel
- link to FTP site with Commissioning Manual and Appendix templates
Also see Retro Commissioning Process
and Natl Cemetery Admin Commissioning Process
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:
- A/E Review Checklists
- Design Manuals
Harm Prevention
- Architectural Design Manual - Section 4.33
- Parking Design Manual - Section 7-6
- Mental Health Design Guide
Healing Environments
Innovative 21st Century Building Environments for
VA Healthcare Delivery
Metric
Physical Security & Resiliency
Compliance Date: All projects in VA’s Major Construction Program that are in design at the effective date of the manual but have not concluded the 35-percent design milestone (defined as Schematic Design or SD2) must incorporate the requirements of this manual. Major projects that have reached the 35-percent design milestone are required to be in compliance with the edition of this manual effective at the time OR the current version, at the discretion of the Project Delivery Team.
Design Manual - October 2020, Minor Revision 01-01-2021 - Summary of Changes 10-01-2020 - Summary of Changes 01-01-2021
Design Manual - January 2015
- Life Safety Protected Facilities
- Mission Critical Facilities
- Appendix A
- Appendix B - Security System Application Matrix
- VA CFM Design Alerts
Other Documents:
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
Room Finishes
- PG 18-14 Room Finishes, Door, and Hardware Schedule
Signage & Wayfinding
This section contains the VA Signage Design Manual. The PDF files located here contain visual illustrations and specifications for signs that are used at VA facilities, and are inherently graphical in nature.
- Summary of Changes in 12/2012 edition
- 01-Introduction, Acknowledgments & Design Elements
- 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
- 09-Interior Signs
- 10-"You Are Here" Maps and Directories
- 11-Specialty Signs
- 12-Cemetery Signs
- 13-Glossary
- 14-Appendix
- VA Signage Artwork (compressed Adobe Illustrator file)
- Wayfinding New Chapter 2
- Wayfinding Report
- VHA Standardized Signage Nomenclature
Tuberculosis Facility Guidance
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