02. Indoor air quality

(credits available dependent on building type)

Aim

To recognise and encourage a healthy internal environment through the specification and installation of appropriate ventilation, equipment and finishes.

Assessment criteria

The following is required to demonstrate compliance:

Prerequisite

1

Materials containing asbestos are prohibited from being specified and used within the building.

Minimising sources of air pollution

One credit - Indoor air quality (IAQ) plan

2

An indoor air quality plan has been produced and implemented, with the objective of facilitating a process that leads to design, specification and installation decisions and actions that minimise indoor air pollution during the design, construction and occupation of the building. The indoor air quality plan must consider the following:

2.a

Removal of contaminant sources

2.b

Dilution and control of contaminant sources

2.c

Procedures for pre-occupancy flush out

2.d

Protection of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems from sources of pollution during refurbishment or fit-out works, e.g. dust

2.e

Procedures for protecting the indoor air quality of areas outside of the refurbishment or fit-out zone that may be affected by the refurbishment or fit-out works

2.f

Procedures for identifying and implementing third party testing and analysis required to ascertain that the contaminant sources have been removed effectively before occupancy

2.g

Procedures for maintaining indoor air quality in use to be handed over to the occupant, e.g. maintenance and cleaning of the HVAC system, ductwork and filters.

One credit- Ventilation

Refurbishment and fit-out works include measures to minimise the concentration and recirculation of pollutants in the building as follows:

3

Provide fresh air into the building in accordance with the criteria of the national best practice standard for ventilation.

4

Design ventilation pathways to minimise the build-up of air pollutants in the building, as follows:

4.a

In air-conditioned and mixed-mode buildings or spaces:

4.a.i

The building's air intakes and exhausts are over 10m apart and intakes are over 20m from sources of external pollution; OR

4.a.ii

The location of the building's air intakes and exhausts, in relation to each other and external sources of pollution, is designed in accordance with EN 13779:20071 Annex A2.

4.b

In naturally ventilated buildings or spaces: openable windows or ventilators are over 10m from sources of external pollution.

5

Where present, HVAC systems must incorporate suitable filtration to minimise external air pollution, as defined in EN 13779:2007 Annex A3.

6

Areas of the building subject to large and unpredictable or variable occupancy patterns have carbon dioxide (CO₂) or air quality sensors specified and:

6.a

In mechanically ventilated buildings or spaces: sensors are linked to the mechanical ventilation system and provide demand-controlled ventilation to the space

6.b

In naturally ventilated buildings or spaces: sensors either have the ability to alert the building owner or manager when CO₂ levels exceed the recommended set point, or are linked to controls with the ability to adjust the quantity of fresh air, i.e. automatic opening windows or roof vents.

7

In countries where smoking within buildings is not prohibited by law, one of the following is specified:

7.a

A smoking ban covering all public and staff areas of the building is implemented, and 'No Smoking' signs are located in appropriate areas clearly visible to all occupants (i.e. common areas, offices and building entrances) OR

7.b

Where smoking is permitted in dedicated smoking rooms only and smoking is banned in all other areas with 'No Smoking' signs located in appropriate areas clearly visible to all occupants and where:

7.b.i

Ventilation rates in the dedicated smoking room are in accordance with national best practice standards for ventilation

7.b.ii

A separate ventilation system prevents recirculation within the room and the smoking room is separated from all other occupied areas by a lobby

7.b.iii

Air intakes or exhausts or openable windows or ventilators are positioned to minimise recirculation of smoke (see criteria 4.a and 4.b).

One credit - Volatile organic compound (VOC) emission levels (products)

8

All decorative paints and varnishes specified meet the criteria in Table 20.

One credit - VOC emission levels (post-construction)

9

The formaldehyde concentration level is measured post-construction (but pre-occupancy) and is found to be less than or equal to 100µg/averaged over 30 minutes (WHO guidelines for indoor air quality: Selected pollutants, 20102).

10

The TVOC concentration level is measured post-construction (but pre-occupancy) and found to be less than 300µg/over 8 hours.

11

Where VOC and formaldehyde levels are found to exceed the limits defined in criteria 9 and 10 , the project team confirms the measures that have, or will be taken, in accordance with the IAQ plan, to reduce the levels to within these limits, including remeasurement.

12

The testing and measurement of the above pollutants are in accordance with the following standards where relevant:

12.a

ISO 16000-4: 2011 Diffusive sampling of formaldehyde in air3

12.b

ISO 16000-6: 2011 VOCs in air by active sampling4

12.c

EN ISO 16017-2: 2003 VOCs - Indoor, ambient and workplace air by diffusive sampling5

12.d

ISO 16000-3: 20116 Formaldehyde and other carbonyls in air by active sampling.

13

The measured concentration levels of formaldehyde (µg/m³) and TVOC (µg/m³) are reported, via the BREEAM Assessment Scoring and Reporting Tool.

Adaptability - Potential for natural ventilation

One credit

14

The building ventilation strategy is designed to be flexible and adaptable to potential building occupant needs and climatic scenarios. This can be demonstrated as follows:

14.a

Occupied spaces of the building are designed to be capable of providing fresh air entirely via a natural ventilation strategy. The following are methods deemed to satisfy this criterion dependent upon the complexity of the proposed system:

14.a.i

The openable window area in each occupied space is equivalent to 5% of the gross internal floor area of that room or floor plate. For room or floor plates between 7m-15m depth, the openable window area must be on opposite sides and evenly distributed across the area to promote adequate cross-ventilation; OR

14.a.ii

The design demonstrates that the natural ventilation strategy provides an adequate cross flow of air to maintain the required thermal comfort conditions and ventilation rates.

14.b

For fit-out projects , local services (Part 3 assessments) are designed to provide fresh air via a natural ventilation strategy.

15

The natural ventilation strategy is capable of providing at least two levels of user control on the supply of fresh air to the occupied space (see CN5.4 for further details).

Note: Any opening mechanisms must be easily accessible and provide adequate user control over air flow rates to avoid draughts. Relevant industry standards for ventilation can be used to define 'adequate levels of fresh air' sufficient for occupancy and internal air pollution loads relevant to the building type.

Note: Multi-residential buildings with self-contained flats and individual bedrooms must have a degree of openable window function. This does not need to provide two levels of user control (as required in criteria 14 and 15 ), but must be occupant controlled.

Exemplary level criteria

Minimising sources of air pollution - VOC emission levels (products)

The following outlines the exemplary level criteria to achieve innovation credits for this BREEAM issue:

One credit

16

Criterion 8 has been achieved.

17

All seven remaining product categories listed in Table 20 meet the testing requirements and emission levels criteria for VOC emissions.

18

For products B–F listed in Table 20, the formaldehyde emission levels have been measured and found to be less than or equal to 0.06mg/m³ air in accordance with the approved testing standards in Table 20.

Two credits

19

Criterion 8 has been achieved.

20

All seven remaining products categories listed in Table 20 meet the testing requirements and emission levels criteria for VOC emissions (listed in the table).

21

For products B to F listed in Table 20, the formaldehyde emission levels have been measured and found to be less than or equal to 0.01mg/m³ air, in accordance with the approved testing standards in Table 20.

Checklists and tables

Table 20: VOC criteria byproduct type

Ref	Product	Requirements
A	Paints and varnishes
	Performance requirements	VOC content limit.
	Compliant performance standard	EU Directive 2004/42/CE (Paints Directive).
	Compliant testing standard	EN ISO 11890-2:2013 – Paints and varnishes – Determination of VOC content, Part 2 – Gas Chromatographic method.
	Manufacturer also to confirm	Paint to be fungal and algal resistant in wet areas, e.g. bathrooms, kitchens, utility rooms.
B	Wood panels (including particle board, fibreboard including MDF, OSB, cement bonded particle board, plywood, solid wood panel and acoustic board)
	Option 1
	Performance requirements	Formaldehyde E1 class.
	Compliant performance standard	EN 13986:2004 Wood-based panels for use in construction - Characteristics evaluation of conformity and marking.
	Compliant testing standards	EN 717-1:2004 Wood-based panels – Determination of formaldehyde release - Part 1: Formaldehyde emission by the chamber method.
	Manufacturer also to confirm	The absence of prohibited wood preservatives or biocides.
	Option 2
	Performance requirements	Formaldehyde level of 0.1mg/m³.
	Compliant testing standards	EN ISO 16000-9:2006 Indoor air - Part 9: Determination of the emission of volatile organic compounds from building products and furnishing - Emission test chamber method. OR Standard method for the testing and evaluation of volatile organic chemical emissions from indoor sources using environmental chambers, version 1.1 - Emission testing method for California Specification 01350, Californian Department for Public Health, 2010. Note: For either method the resultant emission or surface area obtained from the chamber test method must be extrapolated to predict what the emissions would be in a theoretical model room (as detailed in the standard) and this extrapolated emission rate compared with the required formaldehyde level of 0.1mg/m³.
	Manufacturer also to confirm	The absence of prohibited wood preservatives or biocides.
C	Timber structures (e.g. glue laminated timber)
	Option 1
	Performance requirements	Formaldehyde E1 Class.
	Compliant performance standards	EN 14080:2005 Timber structures - Glues laminated timber - Requirements.
	Compliant testing standards	EN 717-1:2004 Wood-based panels – Determination of formaldehyde release - Part 1: Formaldehyde emission by the chamber method.
	Option 2
	Performance requirements	As category B Option 2.
	Compliant testing standards	As category B Option 2.
D	Wood flooring (e.g. parquet)
	Option 1
	Performance requirements	Formaldehyde E1 Class.
	Compliant performance standard	EN 14342:2005+A1:2008 Wood flooring - Characteristics, evaluation of conformity and marking.
	Compliant testing standards	EN 717-1:2004 Wood-based panels – Determination of formaldehyde release - Part 1: Formaldehyde emission by the chamber method.
	Option 2
	Performance requirements	As category B Option 2.
	Compliant testing standards	As category B Option 2.
E	Resilient textile and laminated floor coverings (e.g. vinyl, linoleum, cork, rubber, carpet, laminated wood flooring)
	Option 1
	Performance requirements	Option 1 - Formaldehyde E1 Class.
	Compliant performance standard	EN 14041:2006 Resilient, textile and laminate floor coverings - Essential characteristics.
	Compliant testing standards	EN 717-1:2004 Wood-based panels – Determination of formaldehyde release - Part 1: Formaldehyde emission by the chamber method.
	Option 2
	Performance requirements	As category B Option 2.
	Compliant testing standards	As category B Option 2.
F	Suspended ceiling tiles
	Option 1
	Performance requirements	Formaldehyde E1 Class.
	Compliant performance standard	EN 13964:2004+A1:2006 Suspended ceilings - Requirements and test methods.
	Compliant testing standards	EN 717-1:2004 Wood-based panels – Determination of formaldehyde release - Part 1: Formaldehyde emission by the chamber method.
	Option 2
	Performance requirements	As category B Option 2.
	Compliant testing standards	As category B Option 2.
G	Flooring adhesives
	Performance requirements	Carcinogenic or sensitising volatile substances are substantially absent.
	Compliant performance standard	EN 13999-1:2013 Adhesives - Short term method for measuring the emission properties of low-solvent or solvent-free adhesives after application - Part 1: General procedure.
	Compliant testing standard	EN 13999-1:2013 Adhesives - Short term method for measuring the emission properties of low-solvent or solvent-free adhesives after application - Part 1: General procedure. EN 13999-2:2013 Adhesives - Short term method for measuring the emission properties of low-solvent or solvent-free adhesives after application - Part 2: Determination of volatile organic compounds. EN 13999-3:2007+A1:2009 Adhesives - Short term method for measuring the emission properties of low-solvent or solvent-free adhesives after application - Part 3: Determination of volatile aldehydes. EN 13999-4:2007+A1:2009 Adhesives - Short term method for measuring the emission properties of low-solvent or solvent-free adhesives after application - Part 4: Determination of volatile diisocyanates.
H	Wall coverings
	Performance requirements	Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) content Formaldehyde level Migration of heavy metals.
	Compliant performance standard	EN 233:1999 Wall coverings in roll form - Specification for finished wallpapers, wall vinyls and plastic wall coverings. EN 234:1997 Wall coverings in roll form - Specification for wall coverings for subsequent decoration. EN 259-1:2001 Wall coverings in roll form - Heavy duty wall coverings - Part 1: Specifications.
	Compliant testing standard	EN 12149:1998 – Wall coverings in roll form. Determination of migration of heavy metals and certain other elements, of vinyl chloride monomer and of formaldehyde release.
Relevant standards - VOCs All standards outlined in Table 20 are standards recognised across Europe and internationally for VOC content and testing. In instances where a product is not assessed against the listed European or International standard, it is acceptable to use an alternative, nationally recognised, standard provided the following is met as a minimum. The performance level requirements required by the alternative standard are equivalent to or better than those specified in the standards in Table 20. For example, if a material containing formaldehyde has been added to the floor covering product as part of the production process, then the E1 emission measured for formaldehyde must be less than 0.124mg/m³ (as required by EN 14041:2004). Where an alternative standard omits evaluation of a particular material, it is only acceptable to use the alternative standard in instances where the product does not contain that particular material. BREEAM Assessors should seek confirmation from BRE Global prior to awarding credits for compliance with standards not listed in Table 20 or previously approved as alternative nationally recognised standards. Products with no formaldehyde containing materials For some floor coverings and wood-based panels, the requirement for formaldehyde testing (referred to in the above criteria) does not apply to 'floor coverings to which no formaldehyde containing materials were added during production or post-production processing', or in the case of EN 13986:2004, wood-based panels. As such, if a product manufacturer confirms that they have made a declaration of formaldehyde class E1 without testing (in writing or via a company product fact sheet or literature) then the product in question meets the BREEAM requirement relevant to formaldehyde testing. A declaration of E1 without testing is effectively confirmation from the manufacturer that formaldehyde emissions comply with the emission level requirements of the relevant standards and therefore, evidence confirming the actual emission levels via testing will not be required by the assessor to demonstrate compliance with that particular requirement.

Compliance notes

Ref	Terms	Description
Applicable assessment criteria
CN1	Part 1: Fabric and Structure	Criterion 1 is applicable. Criterion 2 is applicable. Criteria 3 to 7 are applicable. Criteria 14 and 15 are applicable.
CN2	Part 2: Core Services	Criterion 1 is applicable. Criteria 2 to 7 are applicable. Criteria 14.a and 15 are applicable.
CN3	Part 3: Local Services	Criteria 1 is applicable. Criteria 2 and 3 are applicable. Criteria 4 and 5 are applicable where there are newly-specified or existing local ventilation systems within the refurbishment zone. Criteria 6 is applicable. Criteria 14.b and 15 are applicable.
CN4	Part 4: Interior Design	Criterion 1 is applicable. Criterion 2 is applicable. Criteria 8 to 13 are applicable. Criteria 16 to 21 are applicable.
General
CN5	National best practice standards or relevant industry standards	Please refer to the country specific reference sheet to locate the appropriate national best practice standards in the country of assessment. Alternatively, the minimum requirements as set out in the approved standards and weightings list are covered by the proposed documents Where appropriate standards do not exist for a country, the design team should demonstrate compliance with the British or European standards as listed in each relevant country reference sheet.
CN5.1	Furnishings and fittings (Part 4 certification only)	The scope of the VOC credits include furnishings and fittings. In addition to focusing on the key internal finishes and fittings integral to the building it also includes such items as partitions, shelving, desks and chairs and other finishes and fittings that contain products listed in Table 20. Please note that BRE Global are investigating additional items that may be added to the list of furniture and fittings for the final technical manual.
CN5.2	Mechanically ventilated or cooled buildings. See criteria 14 and 15 .	Buildings that employ a mechanically ventilated or cooled strategy are still able to achieve this credit provided it can be demonstrated that the features required by the criteria can be made easily available to the building user, e.g. windows fixed shut for an air-conditioned strategy can be modified to be opening windows. The aim of the potential for natural ventilation criteria is to ensure that a building is capable of providing fresh air using a natural ventilation strategy. Where the building is predominantly naturally ventilated, but mechanical ventilation is necessary to boost ventilation during peak conditions, (i.e. either maximum occupancy, peak temperature conditions or both) due to the function or specific usage patterns of the building, the potential for the natural ventilation credit can still be awarded provided calculations or modelling demonstrate that the mechanical ventilation system will be required for ≤ 5% of the annual occupied hours in the occupied spaces for the adopted building design or layout.
CN5.3	VOCs - number of products required to comply. See criterion 6	Where five or fewer products are specified within the building, the number of products that need to be assessed for the VOC criteria reduces proportionally as follows: Where five products are present, four must comply Where four products are present, three must comply Where three products are present, two must comply Where two or fewer products are present, all must comply.
CN5.4	Levels of ventilation. See criterion 15 .	The two levels of ventilation must be able to achieve the following: Higher level: higher rates of ventilation achievable to remove short term odours or prevent summertime overheating Lower level: adequate levels of draught-free fresh air to meet the need for good indoor air quality throughout the year, sufficient for the occupancy load and the internal pollution loads of the space.
CN5.5	Industrial or retail areas: air pollution or ventilation rate requirements	For industrial (and retail) buildings, the minimising sources of air pollution and adaptability (potential for natural ventilation) criteria and credits apply only to office areas and not to operational areas. If the building does not contain any office areas, this issue is not applicable.
CN5.6	Measuring the distance See criteria 4.a and 4.b.	The distance requirement for air intakes and extracts does not necessarily mean the plan distance, but the three-dimensional distance around and over objects, e.g. on plan the air intakes may be less than 20m from a source of external pollution, but the intake may be on the roof of a 10-storey building and therefore over 20m from the source of pollution.
Building type specific
CN6	Paints and varnishes in historic buildings	An exemption is provided for historic buildings where there is an explicit requirement from the Local Authority conservation officer or the national conservation body to use specific paints and varnishes that may contain a high level of VOCs In all cases procedures should be in place to ensure the building is flushed out for a sufficient period prior to occupation and ventilated adequately in order to reduce risks with VOCs in accordance with criteria 1 and 2 .

Methodology

None.

Evidence

Criteria	Interim design stage	Final Post-construction stage
All	One or more of the appropriate evidence types listed in 4.0 The BREEAM evidential requirements section can be used to demonstrate compliance with these criteria.

Additional information

Relevant definitions

Areas with a large and unpredictable occupancy

The following are examples of these types of space:

• Auditoria
• Gyms
• Retail stores or malls
• Cinemas
• Waiting rooms.

Where the assessed building does not have any areas deemed to be large with an unpredictable pattern of occupancy, the criterion does not apply.

Habitable or occupied room

A room used for dwelling purposes or a room in a non-dwelling occupied by people (e.g. office, hotel bedroom, classroom) but which is not used solely as a kitchen, bathroom, cellar, utility room or for storing plant or equipment.7

Occupied spaces

See relevant definition provided in issue Hea 01 Visual comfort. The following building areas, where relevant to the building type, can be excluded from the definition of occupied spaces for the potential for natural ventilation criteria:

1. Ancillary building areas, e.g. WCs, corridors, stairwells, store rooms, plant rooms
2. Swimming or hydrotherapy pools
3. Sauna, steam room or hammam (for hotel building type only)
4. Catering and small staff kitchens
5. Washrooms or changing areas
6. Laboratory or other areas where strictly controlled environmental conditions are a functional requirement of the space
7. Operational, shop floors or ancillary areas in industrial buildings.

Occupied spaces requiring local exhaust ventilation, e.g. laboratories, workshops and food technology rooms, must still demonstrate that they meet the criteria for potential for natural ventilation (unless listed as an exempted area in this definition).

Openable window area

The openable window area is defined as the geometric free ventilation area created when a ventilation opening, e.g. window, is open to its normal operational fully designed extent for ventilation purposes (i.e. this excludes open areas created when reversible windows are opened for cleaning etc.). It is not the glazed area of a façade or the glazed area of the part of the window that is openable (unless it opens fully).

Sources of external pollution

This includes, but is not limited to the following:

1. Highways and the main access roads on the assessed site
2. Car parks, delivery areas and vehicle waiting bays
3. Other building exhausts, including from building services plant, industrial or agricultural processes.

Service and access roads with restricted and infrequent access (for example roads used only for waste collection) are unlikely to represent a significant source of external pollution. These roads can therefore be excluded from the criteria of this issue. This does not include vehicle pick-up or drop-off or waiting bays.

Volatile organic compound (VOC)

Any organic liquid or solid that evaporates spontaneously at the prevailing temperature and pressure of the atmosphere with which it is in contact (Source: EN ISO 11890).

Other information

Indoor air quality and measurement

The testing and measurement of pollutants must be in accordance with the relevant standards (as listed in the Hea 02 Indoor air quality table). Sample measurements should normally be taken in representative habitable or occupiable rooms, so not every room in a building would need to be sampled (see below for examples of representative room types). For example, in an office, one sample in a cellular or single occupancy office should suffice to assess the VOC concentration of the air for that type of habitable space in the building (assuming the other cellular offices have the same specification). In larger rooms, such as open plan office areas, further sampling locations should be used to understand the homogeneity of the atmosphere. Depending upon the performance of the measurement method in terms of repeatability and the required level of confidence in the value obtained, replicate samples may be taken at one or more sampling locations.

Prior to measurements being taken, the ventilation and heating systems should be operating for a period of time to ensure the relevant spaces in the building reach equilibrium in terms of their internal environmental conditions. Typically this may take between 12 and 24 hours.

Examples of representative room types include: naturally ventilated carpeted office, mechanically ventilated vinyl floored meeting room, workshop, living room or bedroom. Rooms that are not habitable or occupiable may, for example, include toilets, store rooms, plant rooms, stairways or corridors.

In accordance with the criteria, where levels are found to exceed the defined limits, the credit can only be claimed where the project team confirms the measures that have, or will be undertaken in accordance with the IAQ plan, to reduce the TVOC and formaldehyde levels to within the required limits.

This information is provided to assist project teams and BREEAM Assessors on the appropriate scope of IAQ testing; therefore it is guidance only and not a requirement of complying with BREEAM. The testing regime should be determined based on the advice of the appropriate person appointed to conduct the testing, in order to determine and report representative values of indoor air quality for the building.

There are a number of publications available on the issue of measuring and improving the indoor air quality in buildings including BR 450, A protocol for the assessment of indoor air quality in homes and office buildings, Crump, Raw, Upton, Scivyer, Hunter, Hartless. BRE (2002).

Volatile organic compounds

VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Examples include: paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, glues and adhesives, urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI), pressed wood products (hardwood plywood wall panelling, particleboard, fibreboard) and furniture made with these pressed wood products.

'No' or 'low' VOC paints are available from most standard mainstream paint manufacturers. The emissions of VOCs from paints and varnishes are regulated by the Directive 2004/42/CE. Products containing high organic solvent content should also be avoided (EU VOC Solvent Directive 1999/13/EC).

Exposure risk assessment of any possible release of chemicals from manufactured products and their possible impact on health and the environment generally, is an important requirement of European regulations. The possible impact of a building product on indoor air quality is included in the European Construction Products Directive, 89/106/EEC. The amended Directive, 93/68/EEC provided the criteria for CE Marking of products.

Products to be fitted in buildings should not contain any substances regulated by the Dangerous Substances Directive 2004/42/CE, which could cause harm to people by inhalation or contact. Materials containing heavy metals (e.g. antimony, barium, cadmium, lead and mercury) and other toxic elements (e.g. arsenic, chromium and selenium) or regulated biocides (e.g. pentachlorophenol) should be avoided.

Various labelling schemes identify products that have been tested and shown to be low emitting and these have been summarised in various publications including:

BRE Digest 464 (the standards outlined in Table 20 however, are the only standards recognised by BREEAM for the purposes of assessing this issue.)

ECA (European Collaborative Action, Urban Air, Indoor Environment and Human Exposure) (2005): Harmonisation of indoor material emissions labelling systems in the EU, Inventory of existing schemes8.

ECA (European Collaborative Action, Urban Air, Indoor Environment and Human Exposure) (2012): Harmonisation framework for indoor material labelling schemes in the EU9.

Dangerous substances are defined in the Dangerous Substances Directive (67/548/EEC)

BREEAM International Non-Domestic Refurbishment 2015
Reference: SD225 – Issue: 1.4
Date: 27/04/2017
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