Naturally ventilated spaces

Nader NAKIB

LEEDuser Basic Member

7 thumbs up

September 2, 2011

I appreciate your interpretations on the ASHRAE 62.1 regarding the requirement for naturally ventilated spaces: 5.1.1 Location and Size of Openings: Naturally ventilated spaces shall be permanently open to and within 8 m (25 ft) of operable wall or roof openings to the outdoors... Does that mean that a residential studio (with no partitions) that is 30 feet long with an operable opening at one end would, would not, or would partially meet the distance requirement? My dillema is this: Technically, The studio is one big open space that is within 25 feet from an opening - then, it is compliant as per the ASHRAE wording. However, the last 5 feet of the studio are over 25 foot away form the opening- then, the area limited by the 5 feet length and the width of the studio may not qualify. Any thoughts on this?

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Roger Chang

Principal, Energy and Engineering Leader

DLR Group | Westlake Reed Leskosky

LEEDuser Expert

267 thumbs up

Wed, 11/23/2011 - 15:32

Technically, I think you're correct, but this may not be a good idea for good air quality. Note that ASHRAE 62.1-2010 now has more restrictive guidance on the location of openings in section 6.4. For example, with a single opening, the maximum distance coverage is 2H, where H is the ceiling height.