Interior smoking is not allowed in many building types, and for those projects, this prerequisite should be easy and not add costs. It may even be the only legal option. To comply, you may need to establish a nonsmoking policy in and around the building (including entrances and balconies), and install appropriate signage.

If smoking is allowed, stringent measures needed

Multifamily residences and hotels may feel compelled to allow smoking in some or all units, and some projects, like airports, have designated smoking rooms. In these cases, stringent measures will be needed to stop movement of smoke from smoking to nonsmoking areas. These measures include air barriers between units, negative air pressure in smoking areas, separate exhaust systems, and blower-door testing, all of which may add design and construction costs. The added trouble of these measures is offset by some added benefits. The air barrier in particular can improve energy efficiency as well as acoustical privacy.

Warning: Get ready for your blower door test

Meeting the air leakage rate requirements for projects that must perform blower-door testing (multi-family and hotel projects allowing smoking) can be extremely challenging and a major barrier toward achieving LEED certification. The leakage rates require construction practices for unit sealing that are far beyond standard practice and as a result, many projects have failed the blower door tests and have not been eligible for certification.

It is critical that a blower-door-testing consultant be brought onboard during design development or early duing construction documents to ensure that drawings are detailed enough to properly seal units. Get the whole team, including the commissioning agent, general contractor, and subcontractors on board with the necessary practices, and keep this same expert involved during construction to ensure proper sealing techniques are being followed.

Project teams should perform a mock test of a typical unit to ensure sealing techniques are being followed and to identify any potential locations of air leakage. This ensures that problem areas are identified early on in the construction process so that problems can be corrected for the remainder of units. It can be very costly to correct common problem areas across a project if the testing is only done at the completion of the project.

Use these questions to assess your project's compliance with this prerequisite

• What is the project’s smoking policy?

Smoking Not Allowed

• If designated smoking areas are used, are they located 25 feet from entrances (primary and secondary), operable windows, and ventilation intakes?
• Has the building indicated smoking areas and nonsmoking areas with appropriate signage?
• Will smoking be prohibited on all areas of balconies and decks, even for private residences and hotel rooms, that are within 25 feet of entries, outdoor air intakes and operable windows of common spaces or other units?

Smoking Allowed in Designated Interior Spaces

• Has the mechanical system been designed to meet the necessary negative pressure requirements?
• Have designated smoking areas been designed to adequately seal and minimize smoke transfer?
• Have deck-to-deck partitions and other air-sealing construction practices been integrated into construction specifications?
• Has a blower door or equivalent testing agent reviewed the construction documents to identify areas for potential air leakage?
• Has the client been informed of the potential expense for blower door testing?
• Has the contractor briefed subcontractors and installers about best practices for sealing smoking units?
• Have air testing schedules been integrated in to the general construction schedule?