EPG: Chapter 10 - Indoor Environmental Quality

Question 1

ANSI/BIFMA e3-2011

Answer 1

a furniture sustainability standard developed by a joint committee of stakeholders using a consensus process described by the ANSI.

Question 2

ASHRAE 55-2010

Answer 2

a standard that defines the range of indoor thermal environmental conditions acceptable to a majority of occupants

Question 3

ASHRAE 62.1-2010

Answer 3

a standard that specifies min ventilation rates and other measures intended to provide indoor air quality that is acceptable to human occupants and that minimizes adverse health effects.

Question 4

bake-out

Answer 4

a process used to remove airborne contaminants from a building caused by the off-gassing of building materials by increasing the temperature in the building before it is occupied

Question 5

carbon dioxide concentration

Answer 5

measurement of indoor air quality that determines the safety of a space for human occupancy depending on whether carbon dioxide concentrations greater than 530 ppm above outdoor air quality are present.

Question 6

CIBSE AM10

Answer 6

the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Applications Manual AM10 is a standard that defines the process for natural ventilation in non-domestic buildings.

Question 7

circadian rhythms

Answer 7

the natural pattern of phusiological and behavioral processes that are timed to a near 24-hour period

Question 8

contaminant

Answer 8

an airborne particle that has qualities that would adversely affect human health should it be inhaled

Question 9

cubit feet per minute (cfm)

Answer 9

the measurement used to determine airflow rates

Question 10

flush-out

Answer 10

a process used to remove airborne contaminants from a building caused by the off-gassing by flushing out all the interior air several times with outdoor air.

Question 11

Greenguard Certification

Answer 11

a program that gives assurance that products designed for use in indoor spaces meet strict chemical emissions limits, which contributes to the creation of healthier interiors and gives credence to manufacturers’ sustainability claims with empirical scientific data from an unbiased, third-party organization.

Question 12

minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV)

Answer 12

a rating system that ranges from 1 to 16 for filters made for a mechanical building ventilation system that filters particulates and airborne contaminants out of the air.

Question 13

occupant comfort survey

Answer 13

a survey distributed to building occupants to determine their comfort level with building temperature, airflow, acoustics, and lighting.

Question 14

off-gassing

Answer 14

the emittance of VOCs from building elements

Question 15

sick building syndrome (SBS)

Answer 15

a series of symptoms connected with the phenomenon of building occupants feeling sick when they are in a building and recovering they leave the building

Question 16

ventilation rate

Answer 16

the amount of air circulated through an indoor air space measured by air changes per hour as set by the ASHRAE 62.1-2010 baseline.

Question 17

volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Answer 17

organic chemical compounds that are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids that evaporate under normal indoor atmospheric conditions for temperature and pressure and may have short and long-term adverse health effects.

Question 18

What are the units of measuring ventilation?

Answer 18

cubic feet per minute (cfm)

Question 19

The higher the ventilation rate in a building, the ____ the indoor air will be. Before outside air is introduced into a building, it is cleaned by a ____ in the HVAC system.

Answer 19

cleaner

filter

Question 20

What is BASE (Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation)?

Answer 20

It is the largest US study of building characteristics and occupant symptoms done by the EPA. It studies 100 representative office buildings.

Question 21

What is generally the minimum cfm per person required per US building codes?

Answer 21

15 to 20 cfm per person (in offices)

Question 22

EQ Prerequisite - Minimum IAQ Performance sets minimum requirements for ventilation and monitoring as prescribed in _____.

Answer 22

ASHRAE 62.1-2010

Question 23

EQ Credit - Enhanced IAQ Strategies can be me through mechanical, natural, or mixed-mode forms of ventilation. Which type do many LEED-certified buildings employ?

Answer 23

mixed-mode ventilation
allows flexibility to use natural ventilation when the weather is nice, and when the windows are closed, sensors tell the mechanical system to ventilate.

Question 24

EQ Prerequisite - Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control requires teams to ____ or ____ the exposure of occupants to tobacco smoke. Smoking should only be allowed _____ in designated smoking areas locate at least ____ feet from all entries, outdoor air intakes, and operable windows.

Answer 24

prevent or minimize
outside
25 (feet)

Question 25

EQ Credit - Enhanced IAQ Strategies

Entryway systems - Install permanent entryway systems at least ____ feet long in the primary direction of travel.

Answer 25

10 (feet)

Question 26

EQ Credit - Enhanced IAQ Strategies

Increase ventilation - Increase outdoor air ventilation rates to all occupied spaces by at least ___% above minimum rates as determined in EQ Prerequisite - Minimum IAQ Performance. (ASHRAE 62.1-2010)

Answer 26

30%

Question 27

EQ Credit - Enhanced IAQ Strategies

Exhaust - Sufficienty exhaust and _____ each space where hazardous chemicals may be present or used.
Filtraton - Each ventilation system that supplies outdoor air to occupied spaces must have ____ or air-cleaning devices that meet filtration requirements such as having a MERV ____ rating.

Answer 27

isolate
particle filters
13 (rating)

Question 28

Filters with a MERV ____ rating or better are required by LEED projects for EQ Credit - Enhanced IAQ Strategies.

Answer 28

13 (rating)

Question 29

EQ Credit - Enhanced IAQ Strategies

Carbon dioxide monitoring - Monitor CO2 concentrations within all ____ occupied spaces.

Answer 29

densely

Question 30

EQ Credit - Enhanced IAQ Strategies

Naturally ventilated spaces - Follow _____, (standard for natural ventilation in non-domestic buildings) on how to direct airflow in naturally ventilated buildings.

Answer 30

CIBSE AM10

Question 31

What are low-emitting materials?

Answer 31

building materials that emit low concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOC).

Question 32

EQ Credit - Low-Emitting Materials points are earned by using materials that do not exceed the threshold of VOCs for product categories listed in the ____ rating system.

Answer 32

LEED BD+C (reference guide)

Each product category listed has different thresholds for compliance.

Question 33

EQ Credit - Construction IAQ Management Plan requires project team to create an IAQ management plant for the ____ and ____ phases of the building.

Answer 33

construction and preoccupancy`

Question 34

SMACNA

Answer 34

Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association.
IAQ guidelines for occupied buildings that state recommended control measures, handling of special equipment, etc during construction.

Question 35

The IAQ management plan includes the _____ of absorptive materials from moisture to prevent mold and mildew.

Answer 35

covering

ie for wood and drywall

Question 36

EQ Credit - IAQ Assessment intent is to establish higher-quality indoor air in the building ____ construction and _____ occupancy. Points are awarded for either doing a _____ of the building before or during occupancy or by testing the ___ quality before occupancy.

Answer 36

after
during
flush-out
air

Question 37

For the LEED O+M rating system, there is a EQ Prerequisite - Green Cleaning Policy. What is the intent of this prerequisite?

Answer 37

• to create a cleaning policy that reduces the levels of chemical, biological, and particulate contaminants
• reduce environmental effects of cleaning products

Question 38

What is APPA?

not the korean one

Answer 38

Association of Physical Plant Administrators
They create Leadership in Educational Facilities’ Custodial Staffing Guidelines and have standards for annual audits for managing green cleaning products.

Question 39

One of the intents of the EQ category is to provide teams opportunities to improve interior _____ and maintain occupants’ _____ rhythms.

Answer 39

lighting / circadian

Question 40

EQ Credit - Daylight requires the project to meet set daylight ___ and provide _____ control devices.

Answer 40

levels / glare

Question 41

EQ Credit - Interior Lighting has 2 options:

• Provide three lighting levels for at least ____% of individual occupant spaces.
• Meet several levels of lighting quality established by ____ standards.

Answer 41

90%
nationally-recognized

note: you can apply for either one of the two options and get one point or apply for both and receive 2 points.

Question 42

EQ Credit - Acoustic Performance requires projects to meet requirements set forth in the rating system for all _____ spaces. What are some examples of strategies to improve acoustic performance?

Answer 42

occupied (spaces)

Examples: minimize HVAC background noise, sound isolation, reverberation time, and sound reinforcement and masking.

Question 43

The EQ Credit - Thermal Comfort has two categories. One is thermal comfort ____ and the other thermal comfort _____.

Answer 43

design / control

Question 44

EQ Credit - Thermal Comfort’s design category means the building’s HVAC systems must follow which standards?

Answer 44

ASHRAE 55-2010

Question 45

EQ Credit - Thermal Comfort’s control category requires individual thermal comfort controls for at least _____% of individual occupant spaces and to provide _____ thermal comfort controls for all shared multioccupant spaces.

Answer 45

50%

group

Question 46

EQ Credit - Quality Views require projects to achieve a ____ line of sight to the outdoors via vision glazing for ___% of all regularly occupied floor area.

Answer 46

direct
75%
note: glazing must be unobstructed by frits, patterned glazing, or tints that distort color balance.