Development and Application of an Indoor Air Quality Commissioning Program in a New Office Building.
Development and Application of an Indoor Air Quality
Commissioning Program in a New Office Building.
(994 K)
Dols, W. S.; Persily, A. K.; Nabinger, S. J.
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and
Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE). Engineering
Indoor Environments. IAQ'94 Conference. October
30-November 2, 1994, St. Louis, MO, 23-33 pp, 1994.
Sponsor:
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Rockville, MD
Keywords:
air quality; commissioning; indoor air quality; office
buildings; ventilation; building performance
Abstract:
An indoor air quality commissioning program has been
developed and is being implemented in a new office
building in Rockville, Maryland. New buildings can have
an increased potential for indoor air quality (IAQ)
problems due to new building materials and deficiencies
in mechanical ventilation system operation during
construction and initial occupancy. This IAQ
commissioning effort is being implemented to reduce the
potential for such problems in this building. This
commissioning program consists of three tasks: (1)
evaluate the mechanical ventilation system design; (2)
develop a set of criteria that will be used to evaluate
IAQ in the building, and (3) measure various
environmental parameters for comparison with the
criteria developed in Task 2. Tasks 1 and 2 have been
completed and Task 3 is in progress. The evaluation of
the mechanical ventilation system design was based on
the recommendations of ASHRAE Standard 62-1989 and the
1987 BOCA mechanical code. The design evaluation showed
that the system ventilation rates were consistent with
the recommendations of the ASHRAE standard and the
requirements of the BOCA code. The IAQ criteria
developed in Task 2 address ventilation system
performance, indoor pollutant levels, and thermal
comfort. These criteria are based on appropriate
standards and guidelines and on the results of previous
IAQ research. Task 3 consists of the measurement of
these IAQ parameters in three phases of building
construction: after completion of interior buildout,
after the installation of the systems furniture, and
roughly one month after occupancy. The first phase of
Task 3 is complete and the results indicate compliance
with the IAQ criteria prior to installation of the
systems furniture.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899