VOC limts and basement parking

By definition, parking garages are not conditioned space and not included in the Gross Floor Area. If the garage is open to the outdoors at all times, or if it is enclosed and provided with ventilation only, it is exempt from IEQc4. Underground parking garages that are “inside the exterior moisture protection envelope,” but “not technically interior space,” are exempt from IEQc4 because they are “unconditioned, non-regularly occupied space.” See LEED Interpretation #1767: http://www.usgbc.org/leed-interpretations?keys=1767.

Hi Jon, If i do not wrong to interprete LEED Interpretation #1767 it's try to answer the question, so the statement "an unconditioned, non-regularly occupied space, is exempt from EQc4.1" is part of the question. And the ruling from USGBC is...

The project may exclude the adhesive in question since
1) the garage is open to the outdoors at all times and thus is not technically an interior space and ---> (so if i have 6 level of basement with the standard vehicular access and egress ramp, is it still defined as exterior space?)

2) the occupied areas of the building are separated from the garage by solid, impenetrable walls. Applicable Internationally.

In my case, i have 6 level of basement like typical office building. So are we must use IEQc4.2 for corner guard coating for column parking?

Thanks before

Anna—Adhesives, sealants, and coatings used in basement parking areas are NOT applicable to IEQc4:

. . 1. LEED’s definition of Gross Floor Area explicitly excludes “floor area dedicated to the parking and circulation of motor vehicles,” so a parking garage is NOT interior space.

. . 2. IEQp1 Option1 requires compliance with ASHRAE-62.1-2007. ASHRAE-62.1 requires parking garages that are attached to buildings to “limit the entry of vehicular exhaust into occupiable spaces” by maintaining a pressure differential, by using an airlock or vestibule at entries from the garage, or by other means “to minimize migration of air from the attached parking garage into the adjacent occupiable spaces of the building.” Therefore, there should be a barrier separating the parking garage from the building. (Many building codes and life safety regulations also require solid separation.)

Products used in the garage, outside this barrier, DO NOT count toward IEQc4.1 and IEQc4.2.

Thank you Jon, i can understanding now

Hi Jon,
We have a multilevel basement garage also, but there may be some full time occupied security booths within the space for handing out parking tickets. Sometimes this property owner uses free standing booths with small AC units internally. Other times security persons simply stand by a desk and manually hand parking tickets to folks parking. Also, I'm wondering about any maintenance offices that might be built within this space. Seems because they are regularly occupied and conditioned "sub-spaces" that they would need to comply with VOC limits. Thoughts?

Thanks very much,
Doug
Hanoi, Vietam

In my opinion, the key rule is the “outside the envelope", so I would say it is not necessary to meet all of the criteria of IEQ, but I would suggest, for the benefit of the construction workers and future employees, that you do as much as you can.

John-David,

Thanks very much for the reply. We're reviewing the epoxy floor coating options now, so that's our chance to go as low VOC as possible.

Thanks again, Doug

Does this ruling still apply in LEED V4 and 4.1? thank you