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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To prevent or minimize exposure of building occupants, indoor surfaces and ventilation air distribution systems to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS).
Requirements
Option 1
Locate tenant space in a building that prohibits smoking by all occupants and users, within 25 feet (8 meters) of entries, outdoor air intakes and operable windows.
OR
Option 2
CASE 1. Non-residential projects
Confirm that smoking is prohibited in the portions of the tenant space not designated as a smoking space, all other building areas served by the same HVAC system, and the common areas used by occupants. Ensure that ETS cannot migrate by either mechanical or natural ventilation from other areas of the building.
If the occupants are permitted to smoke, provide one or more designated smoking rooms designed to contain, capture and remove ETS from the building. At a minimum, each smoking room must be directly exhausted to the outdoors, with no recirculation of ETS-containing air to nonsmoking areas, enclosed with impermeable
deck-to-deck partitions, and operated at a negative pressure compared with surrounding spaces of at least an average of 5 Pa (0.02 inches of water gauge) and with a minimum of 1 Pa (0.004 inches of water gauge) when the doors to the smoking rooms are closed.
Verify performance of the smoking rooms’ differential air pressures by conducting 15 minutes of measurement, with a minimum of 1 measurement every 10 seconds, of the differential pressure in the smoking room with respect to each adjacent area and in each adjacent vertical chase with the doors to the smoking room closed. Conduct the testing with each space configured for worst-case conditions of transport of air from the smoking rooms (with closed doors) to adjacent spaces.
CASE 2. Multi-unit residential buildings
Minimize uncontrolled pathways for ETS transfer between individual residential units by sealing penetrations in walls, ceilings, and floors in the residential units and by sealing vertical chases adjacent to the units.
Weather-strip all doors in the residential units leading to common hallways to minimize air leakage into the hallway1.
Demonstrate acceptable sealing of residential units by a blower door test conducted in accordance with ANSI/ASTM-E779-03, Standard Test Method for Determining Air Leakage Rate by Fan Pressurization. Projects outside the U.S. may use a local equivalent to ANSI/ASTM-E779-03, Standard Test Method for Determining Air Leakage Rate By Fan Pressurization. [Europe ACP: Blower Door]
Use the progressive sampling methodology defined in Chapter 7 (Home Energy Rating Systems (HERS) Required Verification and Diagnostic Testing) of the California Low Rise Residential Alternative Calculation Method Approval Manual. Projects outside the U.S. may use a local sampling methodology, whichever is more stringent. Residential units must demonstrate less than 1.25 square inches of leakage area per 100 square feet (8 square centimeters of leakage per 10 square meters) of enclosure area (i.e., sum of all wall, ceiling and floor areas).
Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs)
Europe ACP: ANSI/ASTM-E779-03
Projects in Europe may use CEN Standard EN 13829:2002 Thermal Performance of buildings – Determination of air permeability of buildings – Fan pressurization method.
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
To prevent or minimize exposure of building occupants, indoor surfaces and ventilation air distribution systems to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS).
Requirements
Option 1
Locate tenant space in a building that prohibits smoking by all occupants and users, within 25 feet (8 meters) of entries, outdoor air intakes and operable windows.
OR
Option 2
CASE 1. Non-residential projects
Confirm that smoking is prohibited in the portions of the tenant space not designated as a smoking space, all other building areas served by the same HVAC system, and the common areas used by occupants. Ensure that ETS cannot migrate by either mechanical or natural ventilation from other areas of the building.
If the occupants are permitted to smoke, provide one or more designated smoking rooms designed to contain, capture and remove ETS from the building. At a minimum, each smoking room must be directly exhausted to the outdoors, with no recirculation of ETS-containing air to nonsmoking areas, enclosed with impermeable
deck-to-deck partitions, and operated at a negative pressure compared with surrounding spaces of at least an average of 5 Pa (0.02 inches of water gauge) and with a minimum of 1 Pa (0.004 inches of water gauge) when the doors to the smoking rooms are closed.
Verify performance of the smoking rooms’ differential air pressures by conducting 15 minutes of measurement, with a minimum of 1 measurement every 10 seconds, of the differential pressure in the smoking room with respect to each adjacent area and in each adjacent vertical chase with the doors to the smoking room closed. Conduct the testing with each space configured for worst-case conditions of transport of air from the smoking rooms (with closed doors) to adjacent spaces.
CASE 2. Multi-unit residential buildings
Minimize uncontrolled pathways for ETS transfer between individual residential units by sealing penetrations in walls, ceilings, and floors in the residential units and by sealing vertical chases adjacent to the units.
Weather-strip all doors in the residential units leading to common hallways to minimize air leakage into the hallway1.
Demonstrate acceptable sealing of residential units by a blower door test conducted in accordance with ANSI/ASTM-E779-03, Standard Test Method for Determining Air Leakage Rate by Fan Pressurization. Projects outside the U.S. may use a local equivalent to ANSI/ASTM-E779-03, Standard Test Method for Determining Air Leakage Rate By Fan Pressurization. [Europe ACP: Blower Door]
Use the progressive sampling methodology defined in Chapter 7 (Home Energy Rating Systems (HERS) Required Verification and Diagnostic Testing) of the California Low Rise Residential Alternative Calculation Method Approval Manual. Projects outside the U.S. may use a local sampling methodology, whichever is more stringent. Residential units must demonstrate less than 1.25 square inches of leakage area per 100 square feet (8 square centimeters of leakage per 10 square meters) of enclosure area (i.e., sum of all wall, ceiling and floor areas).
Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs)
Europe ACP: ANSI/ASTM-E779-03
Projects in Europe may use CEN Standard EN 13829:2002 Thermal Performance of buildings – Determination of air permeability of buildings – Fan pressurization method.
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LEEDuser expert
Steve Loppnow
LEED AP BD+C, Homes, EB:OM
WSP
Sustainability Manager