Hea 02 Indoor Air Quality Monitoring – Dawley Road, London

Redmore Environmental was commissioned to undertake a programme of Hea 02 Indoor Air Quality Monitoring to address the relevant indoor air quality credit for the BREEAM certification of a newly refurbished storage warehouse on Dawley Road, Hayes, London.

The Building Research Establishment Assessment Method (BREEAM) allows assessment of the environmental, social and economic sustainability performance of buildings and infrastructure. This is underpinned by a suite of Technical Standard documents which serve as guidance suitable for different project types, such as the construction of new buildings or the refurbishment of existing buildings. Each standard is split into categories such as ‘Health and Wellbeing’, which is designed to improve the comfort, health and safety of buildings for occupants, and ‘Energy’ which focuses on promoting energy efficient solutions, systems and equipment within a development.

Pollutants such as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde are released by fit-out products such as paints, varnishes and carpets. Once a building has been furnished, these can be released into the internal environment resulting in high concentrations within the building. The accumulation of these VOCs along with chemicals from other sources, can lead to a deterioration in indoor air quality. Exposure to an environment with poor air quality have been shown to lead to adverse health effects. As such, BREEAM requires monitoring of these compounds to allow for comparison against the criteria set out within the Hea02 credit.

Hea 02 Indoor Air Quality Monitoring

The warehouse, located in Hayes, west London, was registered to pursue BREEAM certification in accordance with the ‘BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit out 2014’ Technical Standard.  A programme of Indoor Air Quality Monitoring was therefore designed to satisfy the requirements of the Health and Wellbeing category Hea 02 ‘Indoor Air Quality – VOC emission levels (post-construction)’ credit.

Monitoring of VOC and formaldehyde concentrations was undertaken at four locations within the building. These were selected to represent the varying internal environments featuring different construction and fit out products. Samples were collected in accordance with the methodology outlined in ISO 1600-6 and ISO 1600-3. VOC tubes were exposed for a period of 8-hours, and formaldehyde tubes for a period of 30-minutes, as required by the BREEAM guidance. The samples were subsequently sent to a UKAS accredited laboratory for analysis, where the total VOC and formaldehyde concentrations were quantified.

Outcome

The Hea 02 Indoor Air Quality Monitoring results indicated that measured VOC and formaldehyde concentrations were below the BREEAM criteria of 300µg/m³ and 100µg/m­³ respectively at all monitoring positions. As such, compliance with the requirements of the scheme was demonstrated.

How Can We Help?

Redmore Environmental has substantial experience in the provision of Hea 02 Indoor Air Quality Monitoring related services and can provide support to address all elements of the BREEAM Indoor Air Quality credit. If your project is registered to pursue BREEAM certification, contact us today to discuss how we can help you achieve these credits.