Are any LEED points given for shop applied low VOC coatings applied to steel.
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NC-v4 EQc2: Low emitting materials
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Shop applied coatings
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FAQs about EQc2:
Are throw rugs subject to the credit requirements?
What are the adhesives and sealants to be included in the documentation?
Is there a VOC budget method for this credit?
What are the limits on the VOC budget method?
Do products applied to the weather barrier need to comply with VOC thresholds?
If one part of my multicomponent wall system is not compliant, can I still get full credit?
David Posada
Integrated Design & LEED SpecialistSERA Architects
LEEDuser Expert
1980 thumbs up
April 6, 2021 - 4:30 pm
In this credit, the number of points earned reflects the number of categories you document, and steel coatings are part of the Paints & Coatings category, where 75% of those materials (by surface area or cost) need to meet the VOC levels and VOC testing requirements.
If you're asking whether you can count the cost or area of the shop applied coatings toward that 75% threshold my hunch is no.... The credit is intended to reduce the effects of VOC's off-gassing from products applied on site. Shop applied coatings won't have much or any impact on the air quality within the project, whether they are low-VOC or not. And since there are potentially lots of additional products with shop-applied low-VOC coatings, including those could skew the calculations enough that you might end up with less than 75% of the off-gassing site-applied products being compliant.
This is not to say we shouldn't be concerned about the VOC levels of shop applied finishes - those workers can definitely be affected. The health and environmental impacts of chemicals used in the manufacturing process, including shop applied finishes, are addressed in MR credits for materials transparency and optimization. But this credit has drawn the "boundary conditions" at the building envelope to specifically (and more consistently) address the IAQ within the project itself.