Lessons learned from the implementation of IAQ strategies during the design, construction, and occupancy of a sustainable office complex

In 1999, the State of California initiated thedesign of its largest office-building complex.The State Legislature mandated that thiscomplex exceed the states energy code in effectat the time by at least 30% as well as beconstructed as an example of sustainableconstruction. As a result, numerous pioneeringspecifications and guidelines were developed toenhance indoor air quality, energy and waterefficiency, as well as increase recycled contentsin building materials. This abstract focuses onthe ventilation and volatile organic compoundsaspects of these specifications and guidelines.Measures taken to ensure enhancedperformance of the ventilation systems of thesebuildings included: providing minimum outdoorair intakes, cleaned of any oils, requiring thatthe ductwork be sealed during transportation,and wrapped with insulation during installation(instead of lined at the factory). A specificationknown as Section 01350 was developed to directmanufacturers in the testing of interior finishingmaterials for emissions of volatile organiccompounds. Data from emission tests allowedthe buildings designers to select buildingmaterials based not only on their traditionalattributes (e.g., performance, aesthetics, andcosts) but also on their environmental attributes.A list of target chemicals and exposure limitvalues were included in Section 01350consistent with health-protective air qualitystandards. Testing of the indoor air occurredprior to occupancy to ensure that the targetchemicals were below the maximum allowableconcentrations. A follow-up indoor air qualitystudy was conducted in these buildings fornearly two years after occupancy in order tobetter understand the time variance of indoorvolatile organic compounds.This project proved that careful buildingdesign and material selection result in bothexemplary energy efficiency and enhancedindoor air quality. Sustainable design andconstruction added only a few percent to thetotal building costs for this project. In general,the building industry, including design andbuilding professionals as well as buildingmaterial manufacturers, responded favorably tothese challenges. The average concentrations ofvolatile organic compounds measured in thesenewly constructed buildings met the criteria andcompared favorably to averages reported in theUnited States Environmental ProtectionAgencys BASE study of 100 existing buildingswith no-known problems. Nonetheless, in twoof the larger buildings, areas of local ventilationrates were found below the building designrates, indicating that despite sophisticatedbuilding automation controls, under ventilatedareas may exist in larger buildings due to poorair mixing.