BACKGROUND: We have a project that is an office building pursuing LEED-CS 2009 certification. The C&S was substantially complete within the last several weeks. The tenant fitouts for about 2/3 of the building will be complete in the next two months. The remaining areas are currently unleased.
THE QUESTION: Are we required to replace the temporary MERV-8 filters in the central AHUs (part of the C&S scope) with MERV-13 after substantial completion of the C&S scope, even though the building won't technically be occupied until the first tenant fitout is complete? The filters would likely get gummed up from construction dust and need to be replaced by the time occupants are actually in the building. However, we don't want to miss the window to replace the filters and potentially lose the credit for not doing it soon enough. Any guidance on this? Perhaps this query belongs in EQc5, but seems more appropriate here.
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
Michelle Halle Stern
Senior Sustainability ConsultantGreenwood Consulting Group
121 thumbs up
December 18, 2014 - 11:42 am
You are correct that the intent is to replace filters after construction is completed. Since construction is actively happening on 2/3 of the tenant spaces, I would wait until they are finished. However with a core and shell project you need to pick a stop point, and you need to change filters while the core & shell team is still in control of the building, and engaged with the certification process. Regardless I would make this one of the last things you do before handing over the building.