We are building a 13 story building that will have the envelope panels in place two years before all openings will be enclosed. There will still be large openings for elevator shafts and other holes through out the building will be existing during these two years while VOC products for various things will begin to be applied inside.
This building is appx. 941,800sqft and I want to be sure when we should be collecting VOC documentation and quantities for an accurate VOC budget. As you can guess there will be a lot of products with VOC content going into the building but it would be good to be sure when we should collect according to LEED credit IEQc4.1 and IEQc4.2.
At what stage of the project do we say 'we are inside the weather barrier'?
Or all products built inside the weatherbarrier when looking at the construction drawings do we consider for this credit? Which would be a signficiant amount of documentation for such a large building.
Feedback on how others defined the point of documentation collection would be greatly appreciated.
Lauren Sparandara
Sustainability ManagerGoogle
LEEDuser Expert
997 thumbs up
September 12, 2012 - 3:08 am
I would aim to include all finishes and paints installed inside the waterproofing membrane. This includes finishes installed while the openings for elevator shafts still exist.
This is my take but others may have a different opinion.
The intent of the credit is to help protect the indoor air quality of the occupants when the building is completed. In this way, all adhesives and finishes could influence their health regardless of the timing of their installation.
Also, do you know that you will have products that will not be in compliance? The easier way - assuming you can find products that meet your project's needs - is to ensure that all products comply. That way you won't need to keep track of all of the volumes of paint or adhesives used (quantities are only relevant for the VOC budget calculations).
One idea I've seen projects implement is to have a list of all of the acceptable products the team has approved posted somewhere clear and accessible to all construction team members. That way-projects that go on for a long time and have many stages can still stay on track with compliance.
Mara Baum
Partner, Architecture & SustainabilityDIALOG
674 thumbs up
September 12, 2012 - 10:51 am
Lauren is right - you definitely need to include all products on the inside of the weatherproofing barrier, including those that may be installed with the compenents of the envelope that go in early. "Inside the weatherproofing barrier" is not a phase or point in time during construction; it is a physical position internal to the material that serves as the weatherproofing barrier in a building. USGBC does not consider time as a factor for this credit (i.e. products installed well before the building is enclosed) because many products can offgas long after installation; the emissions curves vary significantly from product to product.
Note that USGBC issued a clarification several years ago that the weatherproofing barrier itself is not subject to credit requirements.
Yes, this is a lot of work. It can be a challenge for contractors who have never done this before. It also, though, has a very high benefit to indoor air quality. Best of luck.
Michelle Teague
Architect, LEED ConsultantPolk Stanley Wilcox Architects
39 thumbs up
March 6, 2013 - 11:09 am
Mara, where is that clarification at that the weatherproofing barrier itself is not subject? We run into this on every job with the roofing adhesive. Unfortunately this time of year the manufacturer's requirements for temperature do not allow their low-voc adhesive to be used. I need this ASAP if the roof membrane and adhesive is exempt.
Mara Baum
Partner, Architecture & SustainabilityDIALOG
674 thumbs up
March 6, 2013 - 9:53 pm
Michelle, there were two addenda 11/3/10 --
Addendum Reference Guide
11/3/2010 ID# 100000701
Rating System:New Construction v2009 and Schools v2009 and Core & Shell v2009 Reference Guide:Green Building Design and Construction, 2009 edition Prerequisite/Credit:
IEQc4.1: Low-Emitting Materials-Adhesives and Sealants
Page:471Location:RequirementsIssue Type:Non-grammaticalCorresponding Rating System Addenda:none
Corresponding Reference Guide Addenda:none
Corresponding LEED Interpretations: --
Supplemental Documentation:
none
Description of Change
Add footnote number 2 at the end of the first bullet, "This table excludes adhesives and sealants integral to the roof waterproofing system or that are not building related.".
And the other one:
Addendum Reference Guide
11/3/2010 ID# 100000702
Rating System:New Construction v2009 and Schools v2009 and Core & Shell v2009 Reference Guide:Green Building Design and Construction, 2009 edition Prerequisite/Credit:
IEQc4.1: Low-Emitting Materials-Adhesives and Sealants
Page:474Location:Table 1Issue Type:Non-grammaticalCorresponding Rating System Addenda:none
Corresponding Reference Guide Addenda:none
Corresponding LEED Interpretations: --
Supplemental Documentation:
none
Description of Change
In the "Sealants" section, remove the items "Nonmembrane roof, 300" and "Single-ply roof membrane, 450"