Indoor Environmental Quality
Prerequisites
IEQ prerequisites start with minimum indoor air quality performance (ventilation rates per ASHRAE 62.1-2010 or the equivalent), environmental tobacco smoke control (no smoking inside; designated smoking areas at least 25 feet from entries, operable windows, and air intakes), and a construction IAQ management plan following SMACNA guidance: protect absorptive materials, control pollutant sources, and use appropriate filtration media during construction.
Credits
Credits cover enhanced IAQ strategies, low-emitting materials (paints and coatings, adhesives and sealants, flooring systems, composite wood, ceilings and walls, insulation, and furniture), construction IAQ management with flush-out or air testing, thermal comfort per ASHRAE 55, interior lighting with controls and daylight, acoustic performance, green cleaning, and an IAQ assessment.
Traps
- Confusing VOC content (grams per liter, a product formulation limit) with VOC emissions (chamber-tested, an air concentration).
- Treating flush-out and air testing as cumulative; they are alternatives.
- Claiming base-building ventilation performance the tenant does not control.
- Forgetting that composite wood and furniture have their own formaldehyde and emission limits separate from paints.
- Assuming the construction IAQ plan applies only during occupancy; it covers the construction phase itself.
Rule of thumb
Flush-out uses 14,000 cubic feet of outdoor air per square foot of floor area, delivered at occupied temperature and humidity after construction and before occupancy. Air testing instead requires documented concentrations below the referenced limits, such as formaldehyde at 27 ppb and TVOC at 500 micrograms per cubic meter.