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NC-v4 EQp1:Minimum indoor air quality performance

Ventilation Requirements for Sporadically Used Spaces

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Santiago Avila
Junior Sustainability Engineer
LEEDuser Basic Member
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Hello everyone,

I have a question regarding which areas should be ventilated. In our project, a residential building, we have spaces on the ground floor designated for flexible work areas, such as meeting rooms, lounges, and open offices, which will be available for residents to use. However, these spaces will not be regularly occupied, as their use is voluntary and varies according to individual preferences.

Is it necessary to install a specific ventilation system for these spaces, considering that they will not be continuously or regularly occupied? I would greatly appreciate your guidance and expertise on this matter.

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Maria Porter
Sustainability specialist
Skanska Sweden
LEEDuser Basic Member
205 thumbs up

Wed, 09/06/2023 - 12:02

Hi!
I would say that they are included, can you perhaps have demand controlled ventilation (only when occupied)? According to the reference guide: “Regularly occupied spaces are enclosed areas where people normally spend time, defined as more than one hour of continuous occupancy per person per day, on average…” Then on page 599 you have examples. I would include all spaces that when they are used are used more than 1 hour. Are you saying that these spaces will not we used every day, only once in a while?
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Santiago Avila
Junior Sustainability Engineer
LEEDuser Basic Member
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Mon, 09/11/2023 - 06:53

Thank you for your response. Are the corridors connecting the apartments also considered as "regularly occupied" spaces? Do they require outdoor air ventilation?
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Maria Porter
Sustainability specialist
Skanska Sweden
LEEDuser Basic Member
205 thumbs up

Mon, 09/11/2023 - 07:09

No, they are occupied, but not regularly occupied. However, when you follow ASHRAE standard for ventilation, non-regularly occupied spaces also have to have a certain amount of ventilation. Not only the spaces that are regularly occupied. (In Views credit etc, that is more relevant). When you do the ventilation spreadsheet found on LEED Credit library you will see exactly what rooms to include and what the fresh air rate is for each room type. https://www.usgbc.org/resources/minimum-indoor-air-quality-performance-calculator Corridors have 0.3 l/s/m2. Only exhaust air spaces and some storage etc do not have to have any supply air at all.
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Santiago Avila
Junior Sustainability Engineer
LEEDuser Basic Member
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Mon, 09/11/2023 - 15:33

Thanks
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Sally G.
LEEDuser Basic Member
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Sat, 11/04/2023 - 00:33

What spaces in a church would be considered “regularly occupied”?  Offices, certainly, but much of the other spaces are used mainly on weekends, unless there is a special or rental event.  (We are converting an existing unoccupied, gutted bank-branch building into our UU society’s new “church home”.)

Mon, 11/06/2023 - 18:07

Hi Sally, could you please post your query as a new question under this prerequisite?

Mon, 11/06/2023 - 18:09

Hello Santiago, please see "TABLE 6-1 MINIMUM VENTILATION RATES IN BREATHING ZONE", where you will find that common corridors in residential buildings need 0.3 L/s·m2.
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Afogreen Build
www.afogreenbuild.com
Green Building Consultant
LEEDuser Premium Member
249 thumbs up

Tue, 07/16/2024 - 01:56

Hi Santiago,   EQP1 is applied to all occupied spaces. It will not affect whether the space is regularly occupied or not. Therefore, a specific ventilation system should be installed in the meeting rooms, lounges, open office spaces, and corridors, as these rooms are classified as occupied spaces (regardless of regular or non-regularly occupied spaces). Please also note that the minimum ventilation rate depends on the space category (ASHRAE 61.1.2010, pages 12 – 14).   Best regards – Afogreen Build Team

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