Mechanical Ventilation for Multifamily Highrise Bedrooms

Fresh air must be directly ducted to each dwelling unit. This can be achieved by providing a 100% outside air unit that can supply ventilation to the corridors and the living units. The ventilation supply diffuser/grille can be located in the unit common area (i.e. living room, dining room, etc.) Please note, transfer air cannot be used from the corridor/unit entryway doors via pressurization to comply with ventilation requirements. The IMC requires that outdoor air be distributed to each habitable room by means such as individual inlets, separate duct systems, or a forced-air system. Conflictingly, in homes with exhaust-only ventilation systems without outdoor air inlets, the home must have a ducted forced-air heating system that communicates with all habitable rooms and the interior doors must be undercut to a minimum of ½ inches above the surface of the finish floor covering. 2012 IMC “403.2.2 Transfer air. ……The amount of transfer air and exhaust air shall be sufficient to provide the flow rates as specified in Section 403.3. The required outdoor airflow rates specified in Table 403.3 shall be introduced directly into such spaces or into the occupied spaces from which air is transferred or a combination of both.” The comment response in LEEDUser for NC-IEQp1 titled "Dorm Suite Ventilation" by Andrew Mictchell, Principal, Mitchell Gulledge Engineering, Inc. may be useful as well.