Indoor Environmental Quality

Question 1

ANSI/BIFMA e3-2011

Answer 1

A furniture sustainability standard

Question 2

ASHRAE 55

Answer 2

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

Question 3

ASHRAE 62.1

Answer 3

A standard that specifics minimum ventilation rates and other measures intended to provide indoor air quality

Question 4

Bake-out

Answer 4

A process used to remove airborne contaminants from a building by increasing the temperature in the building before it is occupied

Question 5

Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration

Answer 5

A measurement of IAQ that determines the safety of a space for human occupancy depending on when CO2 concentrations greater than 530 ppm above outdoor air quality are present

Question 6

CIBSE AM10

Answer 6

A standard that defines the process for natural ventilation in non-residential buildings

Question 7

Circadian rhythms

Answer 7

The natural pattern of physiological 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

Cubic feet per minute (cfm)

Answer 9

The measurement used to determine airflow rates

Question 10

Daylighting

Answer 10

The purposeful amount of natural daylight in a building that decreases the amount of electrical lighting required

Question 11

Flush-out

Answer 11

A process used to remove airborne contaminants from a building by flushing out all the interior air several times with outdoor air

Question 12

Greenguard Certification

Answer 12

Third-party program that gives assurance that products designed for use in indoor spaces meet strict chemical emission limits, which contributes to the creation of healthier interiors and gives credence to manufacturers’ sustainability claims with empirical scientific data

Question 13

Mechanical ventilation

Answer 13

The process of supplying, directing and removing air from an indoor space by mechanical means

Question 14

Minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV)

Answer 14

A rating system that ranges from 1 (low) to 16 (high) for filters made for a mechanical building ventilation system that filters particulates and airborne contaminants out of the air

Question 15

Natural ventilation

Answer 15

The process of supplying, directing and removing air through an indoor space by natural means, meaning without the use of a fan or other mechanical system

Question 16

Occupant comfort survey

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Off-gassing

Answer 17

The emittance of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from building elements

Question 18

Sick building syndrome (SBS)

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Thermal comfort

Answer 19

The range of indoor air temperature that most building occupants are comfortable at as prescribed by ASHRAE 55

Question 20

Ventilation rate

Answer 20

The amount of air circulated through an indoor air space measured by air changes per hour as set by the ASHRAE 62.1

Question 21

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Answer 21

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