Air Quality Problems in the EPA’s San Francisco LEED EBOM Building IAQ Issues in a LEED Building Part ONE At the end of February 2016, NBC ran a segment investigating whether the EPA region 9 building, at 75 Hawthorne Street in downtown San Francisco, was a Sick Building. All answers pointed to yes. In the

During one of my many presentations on Building Enclosure Commissioning to architecture firms, I had a question from a concerned architect that I think echoes the concern in many professionals’ minds about mold. The architect in question was wondering if there is any way to guarantee “on paper” that mold will never occur in an

House Plants Can Contribute to Healthier Indoor Environments We spend about 90% of our time indoors. While inside, we are exposed to a variety of indoor air pollutants. Reducing or removing these pollutants and creating an optimal indoor environment is important to our health and well- being. House plants reduce VOCs and are an easy

WELL BUILDING STANDARD – How to apply to any project There is a new green certification in town. It is called the WELL Building Standard and it targets the ways in which buildings can enhance occupant health. Indicative of the increasing emphasis on how work areas are designed (i.e., Google, Facebook, Air Bnb, Linkedin), the

LEEDv4 IAQ Testing Requirements Industrial hygienists across the US have been watching the USGBC as they’ve updated the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Testing Credit for Post-Construction. LEEDv4 IAQ Testing requirements have changed since LEEDv2009. Many health and healthy building advocates hoped they would lower the allowable levels of formaldehyde, but due to industry uproar that did

Design as Therapy In the world of building we have control over what comes into contact with our senses. What we see, hear, smell & feel can all be addressed during the design of the building. For the most part these sensory cues are perceived subconsciously and exist in the background. But there are some

Indoor Air Pollution Near Busy Roads Freeways and other busy roads are sources of elevated auto emissions and Indoor Air Pollution. These emissions can be harmful to human health for both people on the roads and people working, walking, and living nearby. Nearly 20% of the United States population lives near a high volume road,

BECx provides Energy Efficient Building and Savings For Facility Managers Building Enclosure (or Envelope) Commissioning (BECx for short) originated in Canada in the 80’s and came to the US in the 90’s. The General Services Administration and the US Army were amongst the early adopters. They started commissioning enclosures on their building projects in 2006. Since

So What Exactly Does An Enclosure Commissioning Agent (BECxA) Do? Understandably, there is a lot of confusion in the design and construction industry about the role of building enclosure commissioning agents (BECxA). Owners and architects do not know what a BECxA does during design and construction and how (or if) this discipline adds value to

Effects of Airtight Construction on Lab Pressurization Most labs and clean rooms require airtight construction to create differential pressure with respect to adjoining spaces. Labs are usually maintained at slightly negative pressure to keep the chemicals used in the labs from migrating to adjacent spaces. Clean rooms, on the other hand, have to be kept at a