NC-2009 IEQc5: Indoor Chemical and Pollutant Source Control 1 point

In our first floor computer server areas, we will have some workbenches where equipment is tested and repaired. Occasionally workers have to fix a connection with a soldering iron. Typically, these soldering irons have been located at each workbench for occasional and very short use. It is an industry standard practice to allow the soldering to occur at work benches for convenience and efficiency (rather than to require it be done in an enclosed room). The company\'s EHS leaders are not concerned about soldering smoke inhalation because it is very brief. Moreover, these server areas are provided with ample air changes well above even the LEED EQ 2 Increased Ventilation credit (this is needed just to keep the servers cool). However, these air changes probably don\'t provide the amount of pressure required for this credit (EQ 5). How does EQ 5 Indoor Chemical & Pollutant Source Control apply to this situation? We propose several options for addressing this, in order of difficulty for our client: 1. Do nothing. The soldering is very limited (typically just a few seconds and very infrequent), and comparable to the amount of fumes produced by typical desktop office equipment such as desktop printers (which are also exempt from the exhaust requirement). 2. Provide portable fume hoods to employees for soldering use. 3. Provide carbon filters in the air return to make sure even the small amount of fumes are cleaned from the air before it goes through a cycle. 4. Provide the soldering irons at each workbench for short use, but also provide an enclosed/exhausted room for workers to use when performing more intensive soldering activities longer than a few seconds. (This would be a large expense where square-footage is at a premium.) 5. Restrict all soldering to an enclosed/exhausted room. Please let us know which option(s) would allow us to maintain the LEED credit.

Where there are physical impediments to locating 10 ft of walk-off mats inside the building, is it acceptable to locate a portion of the mat or grate outside and then the remainder of the required 10 ft inside?

Background: Our project is a high rise building with street level entrances and below grade level building entrances from an inter-modal transportation hall, public transportation systems, and directly from other buildings. This inter-modal transportation hall includes an indoor shopping / amenity arcade, which connects a wide range of retail shops and public transportation (PATH, MTA). This inter-modal transportation network (which is not included in the scope of Tower One) will be a fully enclosed space with conditioned and filtered air, that will also be clean and maintained. The distance traveled from the closest outdoor entry point through the inter-modal transportation hall to the building concourse level entrance is over 500 feet Project Design Approach for Applying EQc5: The entire project design does meet and exceed the air filtration, partitioning, and exhaust requirements of EQc5. The street level entryways designs do have permanent walk off systems that meet the requirements in EQc5. Conclusion and CIR: The concourse entrances will be regular entry points to the building. The concourse entrances are accessed via a conditioned, filtered, clean indoor space and as such it is a significantly cleaner adjacent environment than the street. We are requesting confirmation of our interpretation that the concourse entrances are not "entryways that are directly connected to the out doors" as stated in the EQc5 requirement for the application of walk off systems.