Healthy buildings and RESET Air quality commercial interiors
Smart Healthy buildings with RESET AIR for Commercial interiors
What is a healthy building?
A healthy building is a smart building that, while respecting the planet wherever possible, places most emphasis on human health and wellbeing of occupants.
Factors include indoor air quality (IAQ), visual comfort, light quality, acoustic performance, active design, thermal comfort and cleaning protocols - it requires a combination of multi-sensory design and healthy design strategies.
See our 9-point guide to healthy buildings here.
What is indoor air quality?
Indoor pollutants such as CO2 have a negative impact on cognitive function and performance. the best solution is source control - nipping the problem in the bud, by not bringing harmful materials into the space that carry chemicals, VOCs or off-gases.
For that, we need building materials and fit-out materials that disclose their chemical ingredients, ideally with a healthy product accreditation to back up their claims.
One of the main culprits in this sense are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) or chemicals that off-gas at ambient temperature from building materials such as particle board, glues, paints and carpet backing
Particulate Matter PM2.5 and PM10 are made up of dust and synthetic materials decomposing around us from furniture, fabrics and so on.
What is RESET Air standard for Commercial Interiors?
RESET is about continuous monitoring, analysis and transparency around indoor air quality that specifies monitor standards, deployment processes, maintenance and reporting requirements.
The RESET AIR Commercial Interiors certification can be applied to both new and existing buildings, it should be distinguished from the Core & Shell version of RESET Air.
The Standard covers particulate matter PM2.5, Total Volatile Organic Compounds ( TVOC), CO2 and CO for 80% of occupants in regularly occupied space types, that data is then reported back to those occupants as a way to raise awareness around indoor air quality, the air monitor data is uploaded onto the Assessment Cloud and analysis on an ongoing basis.
RESET do not dictate a specific way of achieving these performance targets, instead they focus specifically on the quality of the data. So project teams have to define the space types included in a monitor deployment plan, with a narrative of how they arrived at that decision submitted to RESET.
What are the RESET indoor air quality performance targets?
PM 2.5 from <35ug/m3 (acceptable) to < 12ug/m2 (high performance)
TVOC from < 500 ug/m3 (acceptable) to < 400 ug.m3 (high performance)
CO2 from < 1000 pppm (acceptable) to > 600 ppm (high performance)
Temperature: monitored but no specific targets
Relative Humidity: monitored but no specific targets
Carbon Monoxide: < 9ppm acceptable (only applicable to spaces with combustion)
What about the air quality data?
RESET have an algorithm for daily averages based on hours of occupancy in relation to the performance targets above. These results must stay within the acceptable limits constantly for three consecutive months in order to be awarded the initial certification.
Projects have to use an accredited Data Provider that reports in to the RESET Assessment Cloud. That data is then communicated to building occupants via a smartphone app or graphic signage for example. The aim is transparency and dialogue around this subject, between facilities management and occupants / tenants.
How to choose the air quality monitors?
RESET make this relatively easy in that only certain suppliers are allowed, based on quality standards and regional coverage. The monitors then need to be mounted 3-6 ft from the ground, at least 16 ft from an operable window and at least 16 ft from an air filter or fresh-air diffuser, as well as being hard-wired to a permanent power source.
All of this has to be incorporated into the monitor deployment plan created by the project RESET AIR Accredited Professional or ‘AP’.
Other important information in the certification process
A project boundary must be physically distinct from other interior spaces in the building. Once defined it must remain consistent for all subsequent calcs.
The total number of occupants is based on where each occupant spends the majority of their time
Full certification requires 80% of occupants or more to be covered by the monitors, Partial Certification is just 30% of occupants covered
Create a list of regularly occupied spaces (more than 1hr per day) based on function type within project boundary, excluding transition spaces such as corridors
Deploy one monitor in each regularly occupied space type so that in total they cover the total number of occupants for Full or Partial certification purposes (based on their usual location within the office and a monitor having a range of up to 5,382 sq ft (unless a proof of uniformity test permits an extension to 10,764 sq ft)
A detailed monitor deployment plan has to be submitted to RESET for review
Contact us to discuss your healthy building, indoor air quality or RESET certification requirements.