Home Green Building Services
Green Building USGBC-LEED Program

Green Building Services

When buildings are under construction or undergoing renovation, architects, designers, and builders have a unique opportunity and important responsibility to manage indoor air quality (IAQ) in order to ensure the safety and comfort of future occupants.

USGBC

Environmental Safety Technologies supports design and construction professionals in their efforts to create buildings with healthy indoor environments. By incorporating good IAQ features into a building during the design and construction phase, architects, designers and contractors can create better buildings, save money, earn maximum possible LEED credits for indoor environments, and avoid potential litigation in the long run.

Whether seeking to earn the US Green Building Councils’ Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design™ (LEED) Certification or simply trying to create a building that supports good indoor environmental quality, Environmental Safety Technologies can support construction professionals through the entire process, from blueprint review to pre-occupancy clearance testing.

The following are just a few of the services we offer to support design and construction professionals:

  • Expert LEED Indoor Environmental credit planning and services for new and existing buildings and LEED - Commercial Interiors.
  • IAQ design and construction specification development.
  • Specification/selection and review of low emitting, non toxic construction and furnishing materials.
  • Ventilation effectiveness studies.
  • Pre-occupancy clearance testing for chemicals, particles, and mold.

Environmental Safety Technologies can be involved with the core project team to oversee aspects of good indoor environmental quality throughout the process, or can work with a LEED commissioner to provide specific services on an as-needed basis.



USGBC (LEED) Program

Indoor Environmental Quality


EQ Credit 3.1: Construction IAQ Management Plan: During Construction

1 Point

Intent

Reduce indoor air quality problems resulting from the construction/renovation process in order to help sustain the comfort and well-being of construction workers and building occupants.

Requirements

Develop and implement an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Management Plan for the construction and pre-occupancy phases of the building as follows:

During construction meet or exceed the recommended Control Measures of the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning National Contractors Association (SMACNA) IAQ Guidelines for Occupied Buildings under Construction, 1995, Chapter 3.

Protect stored on-site or installed absorptive materials from moisture damage.

If permanently installed air handlers are used during construction, filtration media with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) of 8 shall be used at each return air grille, as determined by ASHRAE 52.2-1999. Replace all filtration media immediately prior to occupancy.

Potential Technologies & Strategies

Adopt an IAQ management plan to protect the HVAC system during construction, control pollutant sources and interrupt contamination pathways. Sequence the installation of materials to avoid contamination of absorptive materials such as insulation, carpeting, ceiling tile and gypsum wallboard. Coordinate with Indoor Environmental Quality Credits 3.2 and 5 to determine the appropriate specifications and schedules for filtration media.

If possible, avoid using permanently installed air handlers for temporary heating/cooling during construction. Consult the LEED for New Construction v2.2 Reference Guide for more detailed information on how to ensure the well-being of construction workers and building occupants if permanently installed air handlers must be used during construction.

EQ Credit 3.2: Construction IAQ Management Plan: Before Occupancy

1 Point

Intent

Reduce indoor air quality problems resulting from the construction/renovation process in order to help sustain the comfort and well-being of construction workers and building occupants.

Requirements

Develop and implement an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Management Plan for the pre-occupancy phase as follows:

OPTION 1 — Flush-Out

After construction ends, prior to occupancy and with all interior finishes installed, perform a building flush out by supplying a total air volume of 14,000 cu.ft. of outdoor air per sq.ft. of floor area while maintaining an internal temperature of at least 60 degrees F and relative humidity no higher than 60%.

OR

If occupancy is desired prior to completion of the flush-out, the space may be occupied following delivery of a minimum of 3,500 cu.ft. of outdoor air per sq.ft. of floor area to the space. Once a space is occupied, it  shall be ventilated at a minimum rate of 0.30 cfm/sq.ft. of outside air or the design minimum outside air rate determined in EQ Prerequisite 1, whichever is greater. During each day of the flush-out period, ventilation shall begin a minimum of three hours prior to occupancy and continue during occupancy.  These conditions shall be maintained until a total of 14,000 cu.ft./sq.ft. of outside air has been delivered to the space.

OR

OPTION 2 — Air Testing

Conduct baseline IAQ testing, after construction ends and prior to occupancy, using testing protocols consistent with the United States Environmental Protection Agency Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Air Pollutants in Indoor Air and as additionally detailed in the Reference Guide.

Demonstrate that the contaminant maximum concentrations listed below are not exceeded.

Contaminant Maximum Concentration
Formaldehyde 50 parts per billion
Particulates (PM10) 50 micrograms per cubic meter
Total Volatile Organic Compunds (TVOC) 500 micrograms per cubic meter
* 4-Phenylcyclohexene (4-PCH) 6.5 micrograms per cubic meter Carbon Monoxide (CO) 9 part per million and no greater than 2 parts per million above outdoor levels

* This test is only required if carpets and fabrics with styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) latex backing material are installed as part of the base building systems.

For each sampling point where the maximum concentration limits are exceeded conduct additional flushout with outside air and retest the specific parameter(s) exceeded to indicate the requirements are achieved.

Repeat procedure until all requirements have been met. When retesting non-complying building areas, take  samples from the same locations as in the first test.

The air sample testing shall be conducted as follows:
  1. All measurements shall be conducted prior to occupancy, but during normal occupied hours, and with the building ventilation system starting at the normal daily start time and operated at the minimum outside  air flow rate for the occupied mode throughout the duration of the air testing
  2. The building shall have all interior finishes installed, including but not limited to millwork, doors, paint,  carpet and acoustic tiles. Non-fixed furnishings such as workstations and partitions are encouraged, but not required, to be in place for the testing.
  3. The number of sampling locations will vary depending upon the size of the building and number of ventilation systems. For each portion of the building served by a separate ventilation system, the number of  sampling points shall not be less than one per 25,000 sq.ft., or for each contiguous floor area, whichever is larger, and include areas with the least ventilation and greatest presumed source strength.
  4. Air samples shall be collected between 3 feet and 6 feet from the floor to represent the breathing zone of occupants, and over a minimum 4-hour period.


Potential Technologies & Strategies

Prior to occupancy, perform a building flush-out or test the air contaminant levels in the building. The flush-out is often used where occupancy is not required immediately upon substantial completion of construction. IAQ testing can minimize schedule impacts but may be more costly. Coordinate with Indoor Environmental Quality Credits 3.1 and 5 to determine the appropriate specifications and schedules for filtration media.
 
Copyright © 2010 Environmental Safety Technologies