furnitures installed before the flush out

Because there is an option to continue flush out after occupancy it could be assumed that the presence of furniture is acceptable. Having furniture present during the air testing is recommended but not required, so it may be assumed that the same recommendation would apply to flush out. As I have said in the past in my expert opinion the long term value of flush out to increased indoor air quality is minimal to none. The air testing adds little more value to the goal of good long term IAQ. A thorough implementation of a quality IAQ management plan with third party oversight and a good operations and maintenance program for the building as it pertains to IAQ would go a lot further than the two rather worthless "snapshot" approaches in credit 3.2.

"Having furniture present during the air testing is recommended but not required..."
Dale - could you provide a specific text in the LEED Manual or a LEED Interpretation that backs up this statement.

Benj - usually we see this question the other way around. Folks usually want to install the furniture after or during the flush out to save time in the construction schedule.

The LEED 2009 3.2 Option 2 second bullet item describing conditions under which to conduct air testing states "Movable furnishings such as workstations and partitions should be in place for the testing, although it is not required." Also, the LEED 2009 Reference Guide in section 5. Timeline and Team under the information for Credit 3.2 states the following: "After construction and installation of all finishes (including furniture and furnishings) conduct indoor air quality testing and/or flush out per the construction IAQ management plan and in accordance with the requirements of this credit."

The question was "can furnitures be installed before the flush out?" Based upon the above, I would say YES. There is nothing that says furniture is prohibited before flush out. If the question was "is furniture required to be in place before flush out?" I would say NO, but it is recommended.

Dylan - I would say that your typical situation you described is acceptable with furniture being brought in during or after flush out. This is also acceptable when air testing is being done. In fact, my clients typically try to get the air testing done before furniture is in place just avoid potential off-gassing from it that can negatively affect the tests. As far as LEED 2009 is concerned this is apparently acceptable, but not recommended.

Hello

I don't wanna post same question in another post, so I am using this one.
We are struggling with the same issue. I don't understand how the furniture is not required to be installed before the flush-out begins, when it's clearly stated in the LEED Reference Guide as quoted above.
We have an issue that the flush-out begins before all furniture is installed. According to the current plan the last 3 weeks of furnishing happens in the first 3 weeks of the flush-out (total flush-out duration is 9 weeks). This means the last 3 weeks of furnishing overlaps with first 3 weeks of flash-out.
According to your posts Dylan and Dale this could be acceptable, right? But the LEED reference guide says that a flush-out should be performed after installation of all finishes/furniture. How shall we deal with this?

Would appreciate some feedback.
Thank you.

For LEED NC projects, installing furniture and furnishings prior to the flushout is optional due to an addendum.
For LEED CI projects, installing furniture and furnishings prior to the flushout is required.

Hope this helps.

Agree with David—and see our FAQ above that lays out the exact history of this question.

Amra,
I'll give you my feedback based on 28 years of indoor air quality (IAQ) consulting experience, but it won't be very helpful regarding your question. IAQ Professionals have known for decades that flush out does little to nothing toward improving long term IAQ. The chemicals that would be "flushable" (volatile solvents, coatings, cleaners, etc.) should be long gone from normal ventilation during contruction. In my 28 years I remember few if any times when an IAQ problem was associated with new building emissions. FLUSH OUT IS A WASTE OF TIME, MONEY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES (e.g., energy). The 2012 International Green Construction Code recognized this right away and removed it. The USGBC has increased the air testing option (another thing with limited IAQ value) from 1 credit to 2 while keeping flush out at 1 credit in LEED version 4. I don't know why they don't eliminate it all together.

Thank you all for the helpful answers. And thank you Dale for sharing your experiences.
Great forum!