LEED v4 IAQ Testing - Commercial Real Estate

Summary

As part of a LEED v4 BD+C certification effort, a newly constructed commercial real estate development underwent comprehensive indoor air quality (IAQ) testing prior to occupancy. The testing was conducted in accordance with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED v4 BD+C New Construction Standard, specifically targeting the Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) Credit: Indoor Air Quality Assessment – Option 2: Air Testing.

Representative image; not from the actual project site.

Project Overview

Representative image; not from the actual project site.

This commercial building encompasses approximately 320,000 square feet of interior space. A total of 45 sampling locations were selected based on areas intended for regular occupancy. The sampling strategy met or exceeded the LEED minimum requirement of one sampling point per 5,000 square feet of floor area.

Contaminants and Testing Scope

Testing included both organic and inorganic indoor air contaminants to evaluate compliance with LEED v4 requirements:

• Carbon Monoxide (CO)
• Ozone (O₃)
• Particulate Matter (PM₁₀)
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) including:

  • Formaldehyde
  • Total VOCs
  • 4-Phenylcyclohexene (4-PH)
  • LEED-specified target VOCs per California OEHHA and CDPH standards

Summary of Results

• All sampled areas passed the required thresholds for ozone, carbon monoxide, and PM₁₀.
• A small percentage of initial samples exceeded LEED limits for formaldehyde and total VOCs.
• Follow-up testing confirmed that all locations previously found to be non-compliant met the required limits during retesting.

Conclusion

This project demonstrated a successful approach to LEED v4 Indoor Air Quality Assessment for a large-scale commercial development. Through accredited laboratory analysis, detailed sampling, and adherence to established testing protocols, the project team ensured a healthy indoor environment and met the requirements necessary for LEED certification.

This serves as a model for achieving high performance in indoor environmental quality across similar commercial projects.

Environmental Assessment Team

HBS team included:

Alex Stadtner, Principal, MS, CIEC, BBEC

Jose Acosta, Senior Environmental Inspector, CRIE, CMI, CGBP

Brandon Chin, Environmental Inspector