LEED v2009
Commercial Interiors
Indoor Environmental Quality
Low-Emitting Materials—Systems Furniture and Seating

CI-2009 IEQc4.5: Low-Emitting Materials—Systems Furniture and Seating

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Credit language

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

All systems furniture1 and seating2 that was manufactured, refurbished or refinished within 1 year prior3 to occupancy must meet 1 of the options below.

OPTION 1
Furniture and seating are Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certified.

OR

OPTION 2
Calculated indoor air concentrations that are less than or equal to those listed in Table 1 for furniture systems and seating determined by a procedure based on ANSI/BIFMA M7.1-2007and ANSI/BIFMA X7.1-2007 testing protocol conducted in an independent third-party air quality testing laboratory. The requirement in Section 5 of ANSI/BIFMA X7.1-2007 is waived for LEED purposes. Section 5 requires that laboratories used to perform the emissions testing and/or provide analytical results must be independently accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.”

Chemical Contaminant

Emission Limits Systems Furniture

Emission Limits Seating

TVOC

0.5 mg/m3

0.25 mg/m3

Formaldehyde

50 parts per billion

25 parts per billion

Total Aldehydes

100 parts per billion

50 parts per billion

4 – Phenylcyclohexene (4-PCH)

0.0065 mg/m3

0.00325 mg/m3

Credit substitution available
You may use the LEED v4 version of this credit on v2009 projects. For more information check out this article.
1 Systems furniture is defined as either a panel-based workstation comprised of modular interconnecting panels, hang-on components and drawer/filing components, or a freestanding grouping of furniture items and their components that have been designed to work in concert. Furniture other than systems furniture and task and guest chairs used with systems furniture is defined as occasional furniture and is excluded from the credit requirements. 2 Seating is defined as task and guest chairs used with systems furniture 3 Salvaged and used furniture that is more than 1-year-old at time of occupancy is excluded from the credit requirements.
See all forum discussions about this credit »

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Cost estimates for this credit

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Documentation toolkit

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LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.

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Addenda

19/07/2010– Updated: 14/02/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000146

Update "OPTION 3" to "OPTION 2"

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
19/07/2010– Updated: 14/02/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000146

Update "OPTION 3" to "OPTION 2"

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
01/10/2012– Updated: 14/02/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
ad-100001723

Replace the definition of "volatile organic compounds (VOC's)" with "a carbon compound that vaporizes (becomes a gas) at normal room temperatures. VOCs contribute to air pollution directly and through atmospheric photochemical reactions (excluding carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, metallic carbides and carbonates, and ammonium carbonate) to produce secondary air pollutants, principally ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrate."

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
19/07/2010– Updated: 14/02/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000145

Remove the entire section:OPTION 2Calculated indoor air concentrations that are less than or equal to thoselisted in Table 1 for furniture systems and seating determined by aprocedure based on the EPA Environmental Technology Verification(ETV) Large Chamber Test Protocol for Measuring Emissions of VOCsand Aldehydes (September 1999) testing protocol conducted in anindependent air quality testing laboratory.OR

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
19/07/2010– Updated: 14/02/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000145

Remove the entire section:OPTION 2Calculated indoor air concentrations that are less than or equal to thoselisted in Table 1 for furniture systems and seating determined by aprocedure based on the EPA Environmental Technology Verification(ETV) Large Chamber Test Protocol for Measuring Emissions of VOCsand Aldehydes (September 1999) testing protocol conducted in anindependent air quality testing laboratory.OR

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
See all forum discussions about this credit »
Guest expert

Brent Ehrlich

BuildingGreen
Products and materials specialist

LEEDuser overview

Frank advice from LEED experts

LEED is changing all the time, and every project is unique. Even seasoned professionals can miss a critical detail and lose a credit or even a prerequisite at the last minute. Our expert advice guides our LEEDuser Premium members and saves you valuable time.

For full access, sign up now for LEEDuser Premium

Already a premium member? Log in now

Credit language

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

All systems furniture1 and seating2 that was manufactured, refurbished or refinished within 1 year prior3 to occupancy must meet 1 of the options below.

OPTION 1
Furniture and seating are Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certified.

OR

OPTION 2
Calculated indoor air concentrations that are less than or equal to those listed in Table 1 for furniture systems and seating determined by a procedure based on ANSI/BIFMA M7.1-2007and ANSI/BIFMA X7.1-2007 testing protocol conducted in an independent third-party air quality testing laboratory. The requirement in Section 5 of ANSI/BIFMA X7.1-2007 is waived for LEED purposes. Section 5 requires that laboratories used to perform the emissions testing and/or provide analytical results must be independently accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.”

Chemical Contaminant

Emission Limits Systems Furniture

Emission Limits Seating

TVOC

0.5 mg/m3

0.25 mg/m3

Formaldehyde

50 parts per billion

25 parts per billion

Total Aldehydes

100 parts per billion

50 parts per billion

4 – Phenylcyclohexene (4-PCH)

0.0065 mg/m3

0.00325 mg/m3

Credit substitution available
You may use the LEED v4 version of this credit on v2009 projects. For more information check out this article.
1 Systems furniture is defined as either a panel-based workstation comprised of modular interconnecting panels, hang-on components and drawer/filing components, or a freestanding grouping of furniture items and their components that have been designed to work in concert. Furniture other than systems furniture and task and guest chairs used with systems furniture is defined as occasional furniture and is excluded from the credit requirements. 2 Seating is defined as task and guest chairs used with systems furniture 3 Salvaged and used furniture that is more than 1-year-old at time of occupancy is excluded from the credit requirements.
See all forum discussions about this credit »

Checklists

Step by step to LEED certification

LEEDuser’s checklists walk you through the key action steps you need to earn a credit, including how to avoid common pitfalls and save money.

For full access, sign up now for LEEDuser Premium

Already a premium member? Log in now

Documentation toolkit

The motherlode of cheat sheets

LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.

For full access, sign up now for LEEDuser Premium

Already a premium member? Log in now


Addenda

19/07/2010– Updated: 14/02/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000146

Update "OPTION 3" to "OPTION 2"

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
19/07/2010– Updated: 14/02/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000146

Update "OPTION 3" to "OPTION 2"

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
01/10/2012– Updated: 14/02/2015
Global ACP
Description of change:
ad-100001723

Replace the definition of "volatile organic compounds (VOC's)" with "a carbon compound that vaporizes (becomes a gas) at normal room temperatures. VOCs contribute to air pollution directly and through atmospheric photochemical reactions (excluding carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, metallic carbides and carbonates, and ammonium carbonate) to produce secondary air pollutants, principally ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrate."

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
19/07/2010– Updated: 14/02/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000145

Remove the entire section:OPTION 2Calculated indoor air concentrations that are less than or equal to thoselisted in Table 1 for furniture systems and seating determined by aprocedure based on the EPA Environmental Technology Verification(ETV) Large Chamber Test Protocol for Measuring Emissions of VOCsand Aldehydes (September 1999) testing protocol conducted in anindependent air quality testing laboratory.OR

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
19/07/2010– Updated: 14/02/2015
Rating System Correction
Description of change:
ad-100000145

Remove the entire section:OPTION 2Calculated indoor air concentrations that are less than or equal to thoselisted in Table 1 for furniture systems and seating determined by aprocedure based on the EPA Environmental Technology Verification(ETV) Large Chamber Test Protocol for Measuring Emissions of VOCsand Aldehydes (September 1999) testing protocol conducted in anindependent air quality testing laboratory.OR

Inquiry:
Ruling:
Campus Applicable
No
Internationally Applicable:
No
See all forum discussions about this credit »
Guest expert

Brent Ehrlich

BuildingGreen
Products and materials specialist