Page 309 - The Engineering Guide to LEED-New Construction Sustainable Construction for Engineers

272 Cha pte r S i x

Material Requirement
∗
Hard surfaces Certified as FloorScore compliant by a third party:
• All hard surface flooring or
• 100% of the noncarpet finished flooring if it constitutes at
least 25% of the finished flooring.
Finishes Concrete, wood, bamboo, and cork floor finishes (sealer, stain,
†
and other finishes) meet SCAQMD Rule 1113, Architectural
Coatings in effect on January 1, 2004.
†
Adhesives and grouts for tile Meet SCAQMD Rule 1168 VOC limits effective July 1, 2005.
∗ FloorScore includes Vinyl, Linoleum, laminate, wood, ceramic rubber flooring, and wall base.
† South Coast Air Quality Management District.

TABLE 6.4.4 LEED 2009 IEQc4.3: Low-Emitting Materials Flooring Systems (Option 1 Summary for
Materials Other than Carpet)

The specific emissions for each are not given on the website, but the TVOCs and
the three individual ones that were previously regulated under the Green Label
program are given with their maximum emission levels for the Green Label program
in Table 6.4.3. A summary of non-carpet requirements for Option 1 in IEQc3 can be
found in Table 6.4.4.
IEQc4.4 refers to a resin used in many products and formerly used in a foam
insulation (UFFI) called urea-formaldehyde. Urea-formaldehyde is made in a chemical
reaction involving urea [chemical formula CON H or (NH ) CO] and formaldehyde
2 4 2 2
(H CO). Unfortunately, products made with it tend to emit formaldehyde, and their use
2
is discouraged. The requirement states that urea-formaldehyde not be put in any
material used for the base building, either made off-site or installed on-site. This
requirement is not for furniture or equipment used by the occupants, which perhaps
leaves room for another potential innovative credit for these types of materials.
Note again that many of the maximum concentrations given for the products used
for surface treatment in this subcategory list these concentrations in milligrams of VOC
per liter of the product less the water. In other words, if you purchased a gallon of the
paint or adhesive or other listed type product and it contained 50 percent by volume
water, then the VOC concentration used to compare to the standard would be double
what the actual VOC concentration is in the can. This way, a product cannot be simply
watered down to meet the criteria.

Special Circumstances and Exemplary Performance IEQ Credit Subcategory 4:
Low-Emitting Materials (LEED 2009)
It is really important that all the requirements and material specifications needed for
any of the IEQc4 subcategory credits be included in all portions of the construction
documents and specifications. It is also essential that information on all the adhesives,
paints, and other VOC-containing products used on the site be carefully documented
for the project. This may include cut sheets or manufacturers’ specifications with the
appropriate certification designations, MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets), and test
reports as applicable. Originally, this may have been a large change for construction