855773667-LEED-v5-O-M-Reference-Guide-Launch-Edition-1 - Page 260

Extracted Content

Through readiness planning, facilities build resilience by enabling operations teams to smoothly transition the building from routine operations to alternative operations that protect indoor air quality, thus increasing the adaptive capacity of both the building and the community.

Leverage information from IPp1: Climate Resilience Assessment and IPp2: Human Impact Assessment to select applicable option(s) and develop implementation strategy.

Option 1. Management Mode for Episodic Outdoor Ambient Conditions

Episodic outdoor ambient conditions can range from incidents such as the release of toxic chemicals outside a building to the widespread presence of wildfire smoke. Having an episodic outdoor event management mode facilitates the protection of building occupants from these and other outdoor pollution events.

DEVELOPING AN EVENT MANAGEMENT MODE

ASHRAE Guideline 44, Protecting Building Occupants from Smoke During Wildfire and Prescribed Burn Events, specifies enhanced modes of operation to preserve indoor air quality (IAQ) during periods of heightened outdoor air pollution.

Refer to ASHRAE Guideline 44 to operate HVAC systems in a smoke-ready mode or other “event management mode.” Teams can leverage guidance from Standard 44 to apply similar modes of operation for any events that impact outdoor air quality including increases in nearby construction activity or chemical gas releases. The building owner and facility manager must determine when to apply this mode of operation.

IMPLEMENT BUILDING READINESS PLAN

Preparatory steps and mitigation strategies that a facility will use before, during, and after the episodic outdoor event must be documented in the IPp4: Current Facilities Requirements and O+M plan . In ASHRAE Guideline 44 this is called a smoke readiness plan.

Option 2. Management Mode for Respiratory Diseases

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, industry experts developed strategies to reduce airborne infectious disease transmission in buildings, for the protection of public health and to facilitate keeping buildings operational during periods of heightened risk. One resulting standard, ASHRAE Standard 241-2023, Control of Infectious Aerosols, specifies an infection risk management mode with ventilation and filtration strategies for reducing occupant exposure to airborne pathogens that cause significant personal and economic damage each year.

U.S. Green Building Council LEED v5 Reference Guide for Operations and Maintenance, April 2025 Launch Edition 250