We have a high-rise hotel project with all guest rooms in the tower and hotel facalities (restaurants, meeting rooms, gym, etc.) in the podium. Smoking is prohibited in all guest rooms, but we have a small desginated smoking room at the gound floor of the podium. In this case, is it required to perform the blower door tests for all our guest rooms? We think the blower door test for the guest rooms is not needed as smoking is not allowed in any of the guest rooms while only the pressure differential test is needed for the desginated smoking room at the ground floor. Is this correct? However, when we fill in the LEED-Online form, when we check the project building includes residential units (includes residential and hospitality projects), the form asks us to provide the blower door test results. Should we not check "the project building includes residential units" or for all hotel projects with designated smoking rooms (not on the guest room floors) we need to do the blower door tests even smoking is not allowed in any of the guest rooms?
Thanks for your advice!
Keith Amann
Vice PresidentWSP Built Ecology
67 thumbs up
July 5, 2012 - 10:40 am
Wei,
For some reason, the LEED form was not built to address this situation of smoking being prohibited in residential/hotel units. I would suggest leaving the box that states "the project building includes residential units" UNCHECKED. This allows you to skip the blower door test details of the form. Then under the "Additional Details" section of the form, I would check the "alternative compliance approach" box and add a narrative that states smoking is prohibited in all guest rooms. I would also suggest uploading a supporting building policy that clearly shows that smoking is prohibited. This has been an approved approach used on previous projects.