Our project is pursuing the Low-Emitting Materials Credit under LEED v4 for Schools. We have several questions on how to approach the furniture category under this credit.

1.            How do you determine what is “classroom furniture?” The Reference Guide has two standards listed for furniture compliance based on this designation. In order to find products that meet the correct requirement/standard, we would like to understand how we determine “classroom furniture” selection.

2.            Furniture, as defined in the “Definitions” section of the Reference Guide, must comply with ANSI/BIFMA e3-2011 for compliance. However, when researching manufacturers that can provide this, our team is seeing a lot of furniture that complies with a newer version of this standard (ANSI/BFIMA e3-2014). Do newer versions of a standard meet the LEED requirements for compliance? Or does the furniture need to have a certificate with ANSI/BIFMA e3-2011 on it? It appears the marketplace has moved past the 2011 version based on our inquiries. Many manufacturers are telling us that 2011 is old and 2014 is better for LEED.

3.            Similar to question 2, when seeking VOC compliance for “classroom furniture” (see question 1), the reference standard for compliance is CDPH v1.1. Many of the manufacturers are sharing certificates with CDHP Standard Method v1.2 and mentioning again that the marketplace has progressed beyond the LEED Reference Guide year stated. Is a new version of CDPH Standard Method accepted for compliance?