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Project Highlight

Project Highlight - AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center


    Indoor Environmental Consultants, Inc. (IEC) provided LEED certification indoor environmental quality (IEQ) testing for               The University of Texas AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center located in Austin, Texas.  The facility is a  multi-use building consisting of a 335,000 GSF, 6 story, 297 room full service hotel with business offices, classrooms, ballrooms,      restaurants, an interior courtyard, and below grade parking.  The facility also houses the business offices of the UT McCombs   School of Business.  UT Project Management and Construction Services opted to obtain the LEED EQ Credit 3.2 for Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan: Before Occupancy by utilizing the testing option 2 under LEED for New Construction        version 2.2 in lieu of a building flush-out due to occupancy deadlines.

  IEC successfully completed the sampling of the building according to LEED guidelines prior to the occupancy deadline.               The sampling plan included a phased implementation of the air testing as the building areas became available, and were prioritized   by University of Texas project management based on expected completion dates.  The intent of the IEC recommended phased implementation was to accommodate the occupancy of specific areas of the building prior to the full completion of other areas          of the building.  Approximately 40 sampling locations were identified based on square footage served by HVAC air handling          units and building configurations, including collection of samples in approximately 5% of the hotel rooms.  For each portion               of the building served by a separate ventilation system, the number of sampling points was not less than one per 25,000           square feet, or for each contiguous floor area, whichever was larger, and included areas with least ventilation and greatest     presumed source strength.

  LEED has established the following maximum concentration levels that must not be exceeded in order to meet              certification criteria:


Contaminant

Maximum Concentration **

Formaldehyde

50 parts per billion (27 ppb in LEED 2009 NC)

Particulates (PM10)

50 micrograms per cubic meter

Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC)

500 micrograms per cubic meter

* 4-Phenylcyclohexene (4-PCH)

6.5 micrograms per cubic meter

Carbon Monoxide

9 parts per million and no greater than 2 parts per million above outdoor levels

* This test is only performed if carpets with styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) latex backing material are installed as part of these building  systems.  Specifications for floor coverings should be reviewed and confirmed for the absence of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR).
** The requirement is to verify an indoor concentration that does not exceed the maximum concentration specified, with the building   ventilations system operating in the minimum outside air mode.


  The facility achieved its goal of a LEED Gold Certification, and IEC was excited to learn that the EQ 3.2 credit was the point          that eventually brought the facility over the threshold level.  The University of Texas is committed to sustainability in its building programs, and all new buildings on campus are now expected to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.  Read the Daily Texan article.

  IEC President and Principal IAQ Consultant Hollis L. Horner  is a   LEED Accredited Professional BD+C  -       specialization in building design and construction.  Contact Hollis today to learn more about IEC LEED project management.


                          
  
             U.S. Green Building Council            Greenguard Environmental Institute        

                 USGBC LEED Program


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