I've scrolled, searched and reviewed the comments here on the thread and I'm still not clear on whether Laminating/Contact adhesives used for bonding laminates to substrates for shop assembled millwork should be reported and exactly how. Follow me on this...
This isn't an exterior product, so therefore it must be included in reporting (this is an NC project). This is not an inherently nonemitting source; therefore it must be reported. Now...here is where LEEDv3 would give guidance and say that it was shop applied and therefore VOC reporting is not required (assumed to be off gassed right). But v4 doesn't indicate that there is an exemption for offsite shop applied adhesives.
So then, it must meet a compliance category. Of the categories for general reporting; adhesives is clearly the category. Therefore, the General Emissions Evaluation is the requirement listed. Additionally, for this category, VOC content requirements are required for any onsite wet applied products. Contact/laminating adhesive is not "onsite wet applied" it is shop applied. So therefore, the VOC content maximum (SCAQMD1168 for contact adhesive) additional requirement is not required.
Therefore, my contact adhesive needs to have been tested under CDPH 1.1 2010 method and meet TVOC requirements therein. No other method of VOC testing matters for v4 for this product - although...to be clear, it would be highly recommended to not exceed the VOC max for a contact adhesive, no matter where it is being applied.
Additionally, I would simply assume that laminating/contact adhesives be at least as stringent as a LEEDv3 and meet requirements for formaldehyde -- although the Reference Guide is silent on this. And I don't want to start confusion with the dropdowns on the calculator issue - that is a separate issue altogether. I'm simply trying to determine if our adhesives ALSO must meet the composite wood evaluation.
All of this would of course be fine, except that I saw a comment within the thread seeming to indicated that laminating/contact adhesives are somehow exempt from LEM reporting altogether.
Certainly we've done v4 projects with laminating/contact adhesives by now...how are other users reporting this or getting comments from GBCI reviewers? Thanks for helping out! sorry for the long post.
Reinhard Oppl
Independent consultant on VOC issuesformerly with Eurofins Product Testing A/S
329 thumbs up
August 1, 2017 - 12:52 pm
The VOC emissions evaluation refers to building products as used at the construction site, and it does not refer to elements of a building product that are shop assembled.
You are right that this is not stated as expressively as is for the VOC content evaluation. But this is the meaning, as the whole exercise aims at protecting users of indoor environments. And these will not inhale any emissions of a laminating adhesive applied at the shop.
Therefore only the final product faces the requirements of the LEED v4 EQ Credit Low-Emitting Materials - here the laminated millwork.
Landry Watson
Assistant Vice President - SustainabilityAlexandria Real Estate Equities
29 thumbs up
August 2, 2017 - 3:10 pm
Thanks for the reply Reinhard, but I hate to admit this...I'm still not 100% on the statement in your last paragraph. What do you mean by that statement? That my shop built millwork, as an assembly needs some kind of General Emissions Evaluation as a completed/final product? I'd anticipate that the individual components (the laminate, the substrate, any hardware as applicable) may have been tested by their manufacturer's to CDPH 1.1 or similar testing...and that the substrate and contact adhesive would need to pass the Composite Wood Evaluation. I'd not anticipate that completed final pieces of millwork would need to be somehow tested; that seems unreasonable. Sorry if I'm misunderstanding your advice. thank you!
Reinhard Oppl
Independent consultant on VOC issuesformerly with Eurofins Product Testing A/S
329 thumbs up
August 3, 2017 - 9:12 am
No problem. My saying is that the final product (and not its constituents) has to go through an evaluation according to the LEED v4 EQ Credit Low-Emitting Materials. The emissions of the ingredients of the final product are not additive!
This evaluation includes a decision whether the final product is regarded as composite wood product (which always consists of wood particles or fibres glued together), or as a final product such as flooring, wall board or furniture. If it is composite wood, then only formaldehyde matters. If it is a final product then the General Emissions Evaluation of VOC emissions must be applied.
So what is composite wood?
The credit says "Composite wood, as defined by ... CARB ATCM". And that regulation says:
“Composite wood products” means hardwood, plywood, particleboard, and medium density fiberboard. “Composite wood products” does not include hardboard, structural plywood ..., structural panels ..., structural composite lumber ..., oriented strand board, glued laminated timber ..., prefabricated wood I-joists ..., finger-jointed lumber, or “composite wood products” used inside of new vehicles ...
Hoping this helps.
Reema Nagpal
Sustainable Design SpecialistHOK
October 24, 2017 - 7:17 pm
Reinhard ,
I am wondering how this evaluation applies to structural steel that has a shop-applied coatings? I guess any metal with anti-corrosive coatings is not considered inherently non-emitting and needs to be tested. So I understand in this case it is only the coating that needs to be tested, not the final product?
This is very confusing because as per on-site applied coatings categories, we are only required to include on-site applied coatings.
Reinhard Oppl
Independent consultant on VOC issuesformerly with Eurofins Product Testing A/S
329 thumbs up
October 26, 2017 - 6:42 am
Yes, it is confusing and not well worded. The credit language says:
Products that are inherently nonemitting sources of VOCs (..., powder-coated metals, plated or anodized metal, ...) are considered fully compliant without any VOC emissions testing if they do not include integral organic-based surface coatings, binders, or sealants.
From a technical point of view, any shop-applied integral organic-based surface coatings will be completely dried out before they reach the construction site. Then the coated metal sheet then will be non-emitting at the construction site, indeed.
But unfortunately this is not covered by the credit language. It had in mind coated solid wood flooring where the above statement does not always hold true.
Nevertheless, shop-applied coatings are not subject to LEED rating, only on-site applied coatings are. As your shop-coated metal sheet is not considered inherently non-emitting by the credit, the final coated metal sheet is subject to evaluation. If I were in your position, then I would talk with the assessor to find out whether you really will need a "General Emissions Evaluation" of the coated metal sheet , even though the outcome (zero emissions) is predictable.
Debra a. Lombard
Construction Administrator/ LEED APBywater Woodworks, Inc.
47 thumbs up
October 26, 2017 - 10:54 am
well i'm working on a LEED NC v2009 project and we got a glass unit sample in that has butyl rubber on the edges of the glazing sample and it smells awful. Too bad LEED doesn't consider all materials that can offgas. this butyl rubber is "shop"/ factory applied so according to LEED no one needs to be concerned about it; however in real life there should be consideration of the offgassing from this.
Catalyst Partners
Catalyst Partners7 thumbs up
June 21, 2018 - 5:20 pm
It makes sense that an adhesive, used on-site, would have to follow the VOC limits and the General Emissions testing. But for the laminating adhesives and urea-formaldehyde, v2009 required all laminating adhesives on and off site to contain no urea-formaldehyde. LEEDv4 is less clear on this, but for all we can tell, compliance to the Composite Wood Evaluation is NOT addressed for laminating adhesives applied off-site. Any thoughts and references?
Debra a. Lombard
Construction Administrator/ LEED APBywater Woodworks, Inc.
47 thumbs up
June 22, 2018 - 9:57 am
I would assume under v4 that off site laminating adhesives (LA) would need to comply with the NAUF and if other onsite adhesives need to have VOC emissions tested then I would apply that same criteria to the off-site LA. However one can email: leedcoach@usgbc.org and ask for guidance. Debra
Michelle Rosenberger
PartnerArchEcology
523 thumbs up
June 22, 2018 - 11:16 am
We've had some v4 projects successfully certified. It is our perception that LEED v4 has abandoned a lot of the foundation built up through the previous revisions, making it hard to build on our previous experience with those rating systems. For example, flooring adhesives and coatings which previously were explicitly included in the flooring and adhesive or coating categories are simply not included at all if you should be pursuing only the flooring category of the low emitting credit. Only the surface flooring product is at issue unless you are pursuing budget compliance.
I would agree that off-site wet applied products are simply excluded by v4 whether they are laminating adhesives or not. The composite wood category only includes the components of the product that are defined as composites as expressed above - particleboard, MDF or hardwood plywood. The assembled product - the door or the casework - does not bear the composite wood evaluation requirement. Only the component does. The ULEF/NAF requirement is not a general emissions type certification. That's why they change the terminology to "evaluation". It is a substantiation that the component product was manufactured a certain way. So for a door, it's the door core itself or veneer itself that would need ULEF/NAF backup not the door.
The upshot is that your offsite applied laminating adhesive would be excluded from reporting under adhesives, does not carry any NAUF requirement anymore and is not subject to composite wood requirements.
Lou Niles II
Senior Sustainability StrategistGlumac
14 thumbs up
March 25, 2019 - 8:55 pm
LEED v4 expecting projects to Emissions Test cabinet assemblies on site? Please tell how this is expected and is anyone really doing this? I am also being told by LEED Coach that a wooden door is to be input as a Wall? Most importantly how is a project small TI or half a million square feet supposed to Emissions Test final assemblies for Casework, Shelving etc. Mostly assembled off site but of course installed on site.