Is your new commercial building aiming to become LEED certified?  We recommend targeting points for demonstrating that your building has exceptional indoor air quality by doing LEED air testing.  Building owners have 2 options to document improved indoor air quality in LEED BD+C (Building Design and Construction):

• Flush out the building without actually testing the air quality
• Air quality testing

Although flushing out a new building is a good idea to improve air quality, the process does not guarantee that the air quality is healthy for occupants.  There could elevated levels of VOCs including carcinogens in a building that was flushed out.  Some VOCs such as formaldehyde take a long period of time to off-gas and relying only on a flush out is inadequate.  Furthermore, flushing out a building during very cold weather or hot & humid weather can be more expensive than doing LEED air testing.

With LEED testing for indoor environmental quality (IEQ), several parameters are measured.  Our testing includes the following:

• Particulates (PM10, PM2.5)
• Ozone
• Carbon monoxide
• Total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs)
• Formaldehyde
• 35 Target VOCs

The sampling must follow prescribed analytical methods and the results must stay below the Maximum Concentration Levels set by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). Testing is carried out over a 4-hour period in a number of different locations in the building. Very few companies have experience doing this advanced type of indoor air quality testing, so be sure to use someone with experience.

If you have an upcoming project and you are considering doing LEED Air Testing, please contact us at (312) 920-9393. We can help consult on LEED projects beyond Air Testing including assistance in selecting low emitting materials, reviewing ventilation design, and providing recommendations for filtration systems. Even if your building isn’t going for LEED Certification, all new buildings should evaluate the indoor environmental quality to ensure a healthy workplace.  Some of the worst air quality we come across is in new buildings and those recently renovated.