Implementing an IAQ plan during construction benefits everyone who works on the site, not just the eventual occupants of the building.

Earning this credit can be fairly easy, but it does require careful coordination and buy-in from all the subcontractors and field personnel involved in the project. It’s important to remember that IAQ management is not a one-time compliance event that can be checked off a list—it must be an ongoing effort for the duration of the construction process. 

This credit requires you to follow the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning National Contractors Association (SMACNA) 2007 guideline. This is the same version required in LEED 2009. Note that although the SMACNA guidelines say they are for “occupied buildings under construction,” these guidelines must be used by all LEED projects attempting this credit—occupied or not.

The SMACNA 2007 document describes common sources for construction indoor air pollution and offers best practices to address them. When developing the project’s IAQ Management Plan, the contractor should incorporate all of the recommended guidelines that are applicable to the project.

In addition to the SMACNA requirements your project will be required to protect absorptive material from moisture through proper scheduling and storage. And, if HVAC equipment will be used during construction, you must install MERV 8 filters before operating the equipment and replace the filters before the building is occupied.

Be careful of implementation

The kinds of housekeeping items described by SMACNA are typically common-sense, easy to accomplish, and add little or no cost to the project.  What causes the most difficulty is that contractors often fail to create a plan, or if they do create a plan, they fail to take timely photographs showing that they implemented and complied with the plan.  This in turn can make the documentation for the credit difficult.

The project superintendent should delegate someone to check these items or a weekly or even daily basis, and take photographs of good examples (for later inclusion in the project documentation) and bad examples (for immediate correction and follow-up).

What’s New in LEED v4

• USGBC now explicitly prohibits the use of tobacco products inside the building and within 25 feet (7.5 m), (or more if required by the local jurisdiction), of the building entrance during construction.