We are in the midst of certifying a Medical office core and shell building. Our scope includes the landscaping, parking lot, side walks, and building shell. The tenant will be responsible for all interior buildouts including the MEP. The tenant has supplied us with their preliminary drawings for us to review and the design of the HVAC system is in accordance with the ANSI/ ASHRAE/ ASHE 170: Ventilation of Health Care Facilities. Can some one advise me if this design constitute compliance with the mininum IAQ requirement if not exceed it?
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Julia Weatherby
PresidentWeatherby Design & Co. Engineers
94 thumbs up
September 6, 2013 - 1:04 pm
The ASHRAE 62.1-2007 users manual (available through USGBC at http://www.usgbc.org/sites/default/files/62_1_2007_UM.pdf) says:
"While the scope of Standard 62.1-2007
includes laboratory, healthcare, and
industrial spaces, ASHRAE recognizes
that the minimum requirements of
Standard 62.1 may be inappropriate for
some spaces. For inst
ance, occupational
safety or other standards may require the
use of special capture ventilation or
personal protective equipment that is not
covered in this Standard. These
additional requiremen
ts relate only to
spaces with special processes and not to
conventional spaces
(such as offices)
located within these facilities. The latter
are covered in the scope of the Standard
just like similar spaces in non-industrial
facilities. On the other hand, systems and
equipment requirements (e.g., drain pans
and airstream surfaces) apply to all space
types."
ASHRAE 170-2008 (paragraph 7.1.1.b.) says: "Ventilation rates for many areas not specified here can be found in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.1. Where areas with prescribed rates in both Standard 62.1-2007 and Table 7-1 of this standard exist, the higher of the two air change rates shall be used."
There is only a little overlap in the types of spaces covered by the two standards. ASHRAE 170 uses air changes based on room volume and does not have correction factors for air distribution effectiveness, whereas 62.1 uses number of occupants and floor area. I believe the appropriate thing to do is to require compliance with both standards.
I've never documented a health care space for IEQp1. I would think the offices, etc. would fall under ASHRAE 62.1, but the health care specialty areas would be covered under Special Circumstances. This must have come up before, so maybe there are some interpretations on this. And someone should have past experience with it too.