ASHRAE Journal - May 2023 - 32

SECOND PLACE 2023 ASHRAE TECHNOLOGY AWARDS
FIGURE 2 Indoor air quality schematic.
Exhaust
Exhaust From Building
MERV 13 Filtration
Outside Air
DOAS
Building Exhaust To DOAS
3rd party Tested IAQ Metrics
Ozone <1 pCi/L0
Exhaust
OCC Sensor
Demand Contolled Ventilation
C02 Sensor
Thermostat
Copy Room
Still, the IWBI levels required were so low it was not possible
to identify any potential materials responsible.
In the end, the building was flushed, the humidity was
controlled below 50% and the heat pump filters were
replaced with carbon-infused filters. The retest demonstrated
20 ppb of formaldehyde, and the building
achieved the metrics for IAQ in a WELL-certified building.
Figure 2 shows an overview of the overall IAQ strategies
and results.
Overall, the building was designed per ASHRAE
55-2010 for thermal comfort, which were validated
with pre- and post-occupancy survey results. The survey
results showed 84% of occupants were dissatisfied
with the thermal comfort of the leased space prior to
construction, which improved to 83% of survey takers
being satisfied after the office was built. In addition,
IAQ improved from 74% of occupants dissatisfied with
air ventilation to 95% of occupants satisfied with air
ventilation.
Innovation
IAQ is the largest category for the WELL building
standard, as well as a focus for ASHRAE, since the
32
ASHRAE JOURNAL ashrae.o rg M AY 2023
Office Work Space
3rd Party Tested IAQ Metrics:
PM2.5 <7 mg/m3
PM10 = 16 mg/m3
Formaldehyde <20 ppb
VOC <500 mg/m3
Carbon Monoxide <1 ppm
Wellfield
peak of the pandemic left many spaces unusable and
required upgrades to return to work. CMTA created a
premier space for occupants by incorporating wellness
and IAQ metrics while achieving zero energy and no
combustibles on-site. With the growing research linking
carbon dioxide levels to cognitive function, the future
of high-performance buildings needs to ensure IAQ
metrics are achieved.
Through WELL v1 certification, CMTA validated the
occupied spaces' IAQ metrics with third-party testing.
As a result, the building achieved IAQ preconditions
such as air quality standards, smoking ban, ventilation
effectiveness, VOC reduction, air filtration, microbe
and mold control, construction pollution management,
cleaning protocol and fundamental material safety.
Additionally, it achieved 10 optimization points,
including health entrance, air flush, air infiltration
management, increased ventilation, direct source control,
air quality monitoring and feedback, outdoor air
system, pest control, combustion minimization and
cleaning equipment.
For more information on this project, visit
https://tinyurl.com/JournalExtras.
Relief
Return
Heat
Pump
Carbon Infused
MERV 8 Filter
Outside Air VAV
Terminal Unit
Filtered Supply
EPA's Monitoring Site:
Louisville Avg. Pollutant:
CO = 0.27 ppm
N02 = 18.97 ppb
03 = 0.04 ppm
PM2.5 = 7.83 mg/m3
PM10 = 16.06 mg/m3
S02 = 1.92 ppb
CASE STUDY
Filtered Dehumidified Ventilation
COURTESY OF SMITH + ANDERSEN
https://tinyurl.com/JournalExtras http://www.ashrae.org
ASHRAE Journal - May 2023

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