Green and Sustainable Buildings and VOC emissions

LEED

The certification institute arranges third-party verification of a project's compliance with the LEED requirements. The certification process for design teams consists of:

• Design application, under the purview of the architect and the engineer and documented in the official construction drawings;
• Construction application, under the purview of the building contractor and documented during the construction and commissioning of the building.

Current version is LEED v4, but the new version LEED v4.1 is published as a Beta Version and can already be used. On the other hand, US Green Building Council still can make changes.

Major parameters and highlights within LEED v4.1 are:

• Integrative Process
• Location and Transportation
• Sustainable Sites
• Water Efficiency
• Energy and Atmosphere
• Materials and Resources
• Indoor Environmental Quality

As part of the Indoor Environmental Quality section, LEED v4.1 defines requirements for Low-Emitting Materials. The intent is to reduce concentrations of chemical contaminants that can damage air quality and the environment, and to protect the health, productivity, and comfort of installers and building occupants.

Emission criteria are defined by product type like:

• Paints and Coatings
• Adhesives and Sealants
• Flooring
• Wall panels
• Ceilings
• Insulation
• Composite Wood
• Furniture

Construction products, paints and coatings should be tested for VOC emissions according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Standard Method v1.2–2017 and shall comply with the target CREL VOCs and their maximum allowable concentrations. Three TVOC ranges are defined as 0.5 mg/m3 or less, between 0.5 and 5 mg/m3, or 5 mg/m3 or more. This type of test would be valid proof for LEED projects around the globe including USA.

LEED v4.1 is defining an Alternative Compliance Pathway (ACP) for LEED projects outside the USA. According to this ACP, products should be in compliance to testing standard EN 16516, the German AgBB Scheme thresholds and shall meet a formaldehyde limit of 10 micrograms per cubic meter after 28 days. Indoor Air Comfort Gold is mentioned as Alternative Compliance Pathway.

Additionally, liquid applied products like paints, coatings, adhesives and sealants shall comply with VOC content criteria. Testing and evaluation shall be done according to CARB or SCAQMD rules by using gravimetric test methods. Paints and coatings for LEED projects in Europe may instead meet European Decopaint Directive as Alternative Compliance Pathway.

Products like composite wood and furniture require different type of testing:

Composite Wood shall be in compliance with formaldehyde emission criteria like for example CARB, TSCA or ULEF. Composite wood products for projects in Europe may instead show compliance with emissions class E1 as tested per EN 717-1 or EN 16516.

Furniture shall be tested and evaluated in accordance with ANSI/BIFMA.

Eurofins companies offer testing according to the requirements of LEED.

Products which are Indoor Air Comfort Gold certified, automatically fulfil the VOC emission related requirements according to the Alternative Compliance Path for projects outside the USA.

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BREEAM

BREEAM is an international scheme that provides independent third-party certification of the assessment of the sustainability performance of individual buildings, communities and infrastructure projects. Assessment and certification can take place at a number of stages in the built environment life cycle, from design and construction through to operation and refurbishment.

Other local BREEAM organisation are established in the USA, The Netherlands. Norway, Spain, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and China.

In case of BREEAM, third-party certification involves the checking – by impartial experts – of the assessment of a building or project by a qualified and licensed BREEAM Assessor to ensure that it meets the quality and performance standards of the scheme. At the heart of this process are certification bodies – organisations with government approval (through national accreditation bodies) to certifiy products, systems and services.

The main output from a certified BREEAM assessment is the rating. A certified rating reflects the performance achieved by a project and its stakeholders, as measured against the standard and its benchmarks. The rating enables comparability between projects and provides reassurance to customers and users, in turn underpinning the quality and value of the asset. The BREEAM ratings range from “Acceptable” (In-Use scheme only), “Pass”, “Good”, “Very Good”, “Excellent” to “Outstanding”. This rating is reflected in a series of stars on the BREEAM certificate.

BREEAM measures sustainable value in a series of categories, ranging from energy to ecology. Each of these categories addresses the most influential factors, including low impact design and carbon emissions reduction; design durability and resilience; adaption to climate change; and ecological value and biodiversity protection.

Within the Health and Wellbeing category, credits are awarded for specifying materials that minimize emissions from construction products, e.g. formaldehyde or volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These criteria involve meeting emission level performance requirements in accordance with compliant performance and testing standards. There are general level criteria and exemplary level criteria with stricter limit values, grating more BREEAM credits. This is defined in Section “Hea 02 Indoor air quality”.

Emission criteria are defined by product type like:

• Interior paints and coatings
• Wood-based products (including wood flooring)
• Flooring materials (including floor levelling compounds and resin flooring)
• Ceiling, wall, and acoustic and thermal insulation materials
• Interior adhesives and sealants (including flooring adhesives)

Additionally, interior paints and coatings shall comply with VOC content criteria.

BREEAM published a list of recognised schemes for emissions from construction products depending on product type and level criteria.

Eurofins companies offer testing according to the requirements of BREEAM International. Products which are Indoor Air Comfort Gold certified, automatically fulfil the VOC emission related requirements of the general level and exemplary level criteria of BREEAM for all product types.

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