Page 084 - INDOOR
Source section: Section 4 - Green Building Core Concepts and Application Strategies PDF page: 84 Guide page: 77 OCR quality: high (296 words)
OCR Text
INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) encompasses the conditions inside a building— air quality, lighting, thermal conditions, acoustics, and their effects on occupants. Strategies for addressing EQ issues include those that protect human health, improve quality of life, and reduce stress and potential injuries. Better indoor environmental quality can enhance the lives of building occupants, increase the resale value of the building, and reduce liability for building owners. Additionally, since the personnel costs of salaries and benefits typically surpass the operating costs of an office building, strategies that improve employees’ health and productivity over the long run can have a large return on investment. EQ goals often focus on providing stimulating and comfortable environments for occupants and minimizing the risk of building-related health problems. To make their buildings places where people feel good and perform well, project teams must balance selection of strategies that promote efficiency and conservation with those that address the needs of the occupants and promote well-being. Ideally, the chosen strategies do both: the solutions that conserve energy, water and materials also contribute to a great indoor experience. LEED ADDRESSES THE FOLLOWING ISSUES RELATED TO INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY:
- Indoor air quality
- Lighting « Acoustics
- Occupant experience INDOOR AIR QUALITY The quality of air outdoors has received considerable attention in recent decades, and strategies to reduce smog and other air pollutants are vitally important. However, the air we breathe indoors—where millions of Americans spend most of the day—can be even more polluted. Many common sources generate indoor air contaminants:
- People smoking tobacco inside the building or near building entrances or air intakes <
- Building materials such as paints, adhesives, flooring, composite wood, insulation, wall materials, Ss and furniture that may emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), substances that vaporize at room 5 temperature and can cause health problems a 77