Indoor environmental quality involves the air, thermal comfort, light, views and acoustics in a building. The indoor environmental quality of a building has a significant impact on the health and productivity of its occupants and on related potential liabilities for its owner. For more detailed information on LEED requirements, please refer to the USGBC’s LEED Rating System.

Prerequisite 1: Minimum Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Performance – meet minimum IAQ requirements of ASHRAE 62-1999

Prerequisite 2: Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) Control – Prohibit smoking in building or design smoking rooms to effectively contain, capture, and remove ETS from the building

1. Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) Monitoring – Install permanent CO₂ monitoring system to maintain indoor levels no higher than outdoor levels by >530 ppm (1 point)
2. Increase Ventilation Effectiveness – For mechanical ventilation: design to yield air change effectiveness = or > 0.9 by ASHRAE 129-1997. For natural ventilation: demonstrate distribution and laminar flow of 90%+ of air flow for 95%+ of time occupied (1 point)
3. Construction IAQ Management – Develop and implement IAQ management plan for construction and pre-occupancy that:
   1. Meets or exceeds minimum Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning National Contractors Association (SMACNA) IAQ Guideline for Occupied Buildings under Construction, 1995, AND protect on-site absorptive materials from moisture damage AND replace all filtration media (with MERV of 13 per ASHRAE 52.2-1999) immediately prior to occupancy (1 point)
   2. Conduct minimum 2 week flush out with new filtration media of 100% outside air after construction prior to occupancy OR conduct baseline IAQ testing consistent with EPA’s current Protocol for Environmental Requirements, Baseline IAQ and Materials, for the Research Triangle Park Campus, Section 01445 (1 point)
      
4. Low-Emitting Materials – Meet or exceed volatile organic compound (VOC) limits for adhesives, sealants, paints, composite wood products and carpet systems as follows:
   1. Adhesives: meet South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Rule #1168, Sealants: meet or exceed Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) Reg. 8, Rule 51 (1 point)
   2. Paints & coatings: meet or exceed Green Seal VOC and chemical component limits (1 point)
   3. Carpets: meet or exceed Carpet and Rug Institute Green Label IAQ Test Program (1 point)
   4. Composite wood and agrifiber products: no added urea-formaldehyde (1 point)
5. Indoor Chemical & Pollutant Source Control – Minimize contamination of regularly occupied areas by chemical pollutants that adversely impact air quality (1 point)
6. Controllability of Systems – Provide individual occupant control of thermal, ventilation, and lighting systems
   1. Minimum of 1 operable window and 1 lighting control zone per 200 SF within 15 ft. of perimeter wall (1 point)
   2. Provided controls for each individual for airflow, temperature and lighting for 50% of non-perimeter regularly occupied areas (1 point)
7. Thermal comfort – Provide for thermal comfort:
   1. Comply with ASHRAE Standard 55-1992, Addenda 1995 for thermal comfort including humidity control Carpet and Rug Institute
   2. Install permanent temperature and humidity monitoring system to provide operator control (1 point)
8. Daylight & Views – Provide for occupant connection to the outdoor environment
   1. Achieve minimum daylight factor of 2% (excluding all direct sunlight penetration) for 75% of space occupied for critical tasks (1 point)
   2. Direct line of site to vision glazing for 90% of all regularly occupied spaces (1 point)

Updated: 9-17-07

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