The intent of the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Plan is to prevent air quality problems resulting from the construction or renovation process. The goal is to help maintain comfort and health of construction workers during construction or renovation activity; and to protect the building's occupants after construction is complete and people move into the building.
There are two LEED-related points available. The first point requires the contractor to develop and implement a Construction IAQ Management Plan during construction, and the second requires an IAQ Management Plan for the pre-occupancy phase after construction is complete and immediately prior to occupancy. Many control measures for an effective IAQ plan during construction or renovation activity phase are similar to our healthcare related infection prevention controls. Control examples include:
- Protect HVAC supply and returns from construction dust infiltration by shrink-wrapping with plastic.
- Use low emitting Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) paints and other coatings if testing parameter levels.
- Use temporary barriers to isolate construction areas from clean occupied areas.
- Keep building materials clean and dry.
- Ductwork should be delivered to the jobsite shrink-wrapped on both ends until immediately prior to installation, and the returns should be kept wrapped until final installation of the finish grates.
- Don't permit smoking in your unfinished building.
Building Flush-Out
Immediately prior to occupancy, conduct a Building Flush-Out with 100% outside air at flow rate of 14,000 cfm per sq. ft. Note that the owner may or may not want to have a usable building sitting empty for two weeks before the occupants are permitted to move in.
IAQ Testing
As an alternative to the two-week flush-out, it may be more prudent to conduct a baseline IAQ testing procedure consistent with the EPA's methods of determination of indoor air pollutants. The advantages to this approach include the reduction or elimination of the two-week flush-out period. Note that the IAQ test is very sensitive and may require the contractor to perform additional procedures if test parameter levels are detected above the limits outlined by the LEED program.
The IAQ Management Plan must be documented with the use of photographs, in order to prove that LEED credit requirements were followed.
