Once again, energy conservation has become a key priority in the design, construction and operation of buildings and homes. Unlike the 1970s, when the goal was to reduce dependence on foreign oil imports, today the goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. Saving energy will save our planet is a mantra heard worldwide in some form or another.
Also, unlike the 1970s, when very little was known about the effects of tighter buildings and the use of synthetic building materials on the indoor environment, today the facts are in. Indoor air can be as much as 100 times more polluted than outdoor air. The major contributors include carbon dioxide, volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from synthetic building products and materials, and particulates, such as mold, dust mites and animal allergens.
The impact of poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) on health is significant. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, for example, reports that from 1980 to 1994, the proportion of Americans with asthma increased by 75 percent. In children under the age of five, the proportion grew by 160 percent. Today, 20 million people have asthma, including 9 million children. In addition, exposure to VOCs in offices and schools can cause building occupants to feel uncomfortable, distracted or sick to the point that it interferes with their ability to do their work or learn. Missed work days or days with reduced activity can cost businesses billions of dollars in lost productivity, and poor indoor environmental quality interferes with learning.
In response, green building has taken center stage as a bona fide strategy for creating not only energy efficient, but also healthy buildings and homes. While the news media has focused primarily on energy and water conservation, the US Green Building Council's (USBGC) LEED Green Building Rating System™ also emphasizes IEQ in order to obtain LEED certification, recognizing that green building does not just mean being responsible for our planet's health but also for the health of the people who inhabit it.
For more than 18 years, Air Quality Sciences (AQS) has specialized in enhancing indoor environmental quality through the systematic study and application of sustainable design principles. As such, AQS offers comprehensive services to create and maintain healthy indoor environments and to help building owners and design and construction teams earn the most LEED IEQ and Innovation and Design Process (ID) credits possible. AQS presently provides services addressing 12 potential LEED credit points, which are either part of the LEED-NC IEQ or ID environmental categories, as follows:
ID Credit 2 LEEDŽ Accredited Professional (1 Point): AQS can pilot a project through the elaborate credit rating system, while merging and reconciling the project vision and sustainable design goals. As such, AQS serves as the bridge between a sustainable design focus and all phases of the design and construction process, including ensuring that environmental priorities and cost concerns are heeded from the development of the schematic design to the construction documents, from the bid phase to the construction phase, and from the submission of documentation for LEEDTM Certification to post-occupancy evaluation.
ID Credit 1.1 - 1.4 (4 points): AQS provides services that can help achieve 4 additional points that exceed existing LEED standards. As the only IEQ firm with internal chemical and microbiological labs that are both ISO 9001:2000 registered and AIHA EMLAP accredited, AQS continually develops innovative strategies for exceptional achievement in IEQ.
ID Credit 1.x (1 point): AQS provides environmental chamber testing, including testing for GREENGUARD Certification, to ensure that all furniture complies with required specification limits.
IEQ Credit 2 (1 Point): AQS can verify that a mechanical ventilation system design achieves acceptable air change effectiveness. AQS will conduct a tracer gas analysis to ensure that the HVAC system provides building occupants with the excellent delivery and movement of supply air. The ultimate objective is to optimize ventilation rates, which can be valuable in the search for greater occupant comfort and productivity.
IEQ Credit 3.1 (1 Point): AQS can streamline the formulation of a Construction IAQ Management Plan to be employed during the construction process. AQS will collaborate directly with the construction contractor to provide guidance on the required design approaches for the purpose of preventing unacceptable IEQ for construction workers and potential building occupants.
IEQ Credit 3.2 (1 Point): AQS not only can organize and conduct the IEQ testing required to earn this credit, but can perform the sample analyses as well. AQS has an in-house laboratory that can process the IEQ testing results and provide the documentation to confirm compliance with the component limits of the respective standards. If levels are not met, AQS building consultants can assist in implementing appropriate steps, such as flushing out the building with clean air or identifying sources of pollution and correcting the cause, to further reduce indoor contaminant levels so this credit can be obtained. AQS offers turnkey execution of the IEQ Credit 3.2 requirements, including:
Review of building specs to determine appropriate sample locations Site visit and sampling for TVOC, 4-PC, formaldehyde, particles and carbon dioxide Report delivery within 72 hours of sampling completion IEQ Credits 4.1 - 4.4 (4 Points): AQS can facilitate the mitigation of indoor air contaminant levels through the selection of appropriate construction materials and installation sequences. AQS will serve as a materials consultant choosing suitable adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, carpets and composite woods to be used in the construction of interior spaces that will be accessible to building occupants. Materials with low VOC emissions will be selected, with the intent of minimizing airborne chemical concentrations that can have a negative impact on indoor environmental quality and affording a healthy indoor environment.
With national presence, AQS can quickly and cost effectively deploy consultants to sites anywhere in the continental US, Alaska, Hawaii and US territories.
Visit us at www.aqs.com to learn more about how AQS can help you, or call us at (770) 933-0638 and ask for Building Consulting. Also visit the AQS Aerias IAQ Resource Center to learn more about green building and indoor environmental quality. You can access Aerias from the AQS website or at www.aerias.org or the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute site at www.greenguard.org.
Search News
