The LEED CI Addenda dated July 19, 2010 modifies the third bullet point under EQc5 as follows:
Replace the text of the third bullet on page 359 with the following:
“In mechanically ventilated buildings, each ventilations system that supplies outdoor air shall comply with the following:
•Particle filters or air cleaning devices shall be provided to clean the outdoor air at any location prior to its introduction to occupied spaces.
•These filters or devices shall be rated a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 13 or better in accordance with ASHRAE Standard 52.2.
•Clean air filtration media shall be installed in all air systems after completion of construction and prior to occupancy.”
Our project involves an existing AHU that serves not only our LEED Tenant space but adjacent non-LEED spaces as well that are not part of our project. Can we assume that the requirement for the MERV 13 filters can be located "locally" prior to its introduction to occupied spaces instead of providing MERV 13 filters for the whole AHU system that serves much more than our small tenant? The first bullet point does say that the devices (filters) shall be provided to clean the outdoor air "at any location", not necessarily at the AHU itself.
Similarly to the ambiguity of EAp3 with respect to whether the LEED requirements involve eliminating CFC-based refrigerants for building systems, does this EQc5 credit REQUIRE that ALL tenant spaces, even if outside of the LEED project boundry but served by the same AHU would have to have the same MERV 13 filtration in order for this credit to be achieved?
Allison Beer McKenzie
Architect, Director of SustainabilitySHP Leading Design
LEEDuser Expert
646 thumbs up
August 5, 2010 - 10:07 pm
Since this is new language, it is hard to be 100% certain of implementation/interpretation, but I think that it should be fine to provide filtration for the air anywhere before it enters the tenant space, even if that means other spaces served by the same AHU do not benefit from the filters. This seems to be in line with the separation of the LEED tenant space from other tenant spaces expected by the rating system as a whole.
Philip Herriges
PM/PANeumann/Smith Architecture
143 thumbs up
August 6, 2010 - 7:45 am
Thank you, Allison!