Hea 02 Indoor air quality

(all buildings)

Number of credits available	Minimum standards
Building type dependent	Yes (criterion 1)

Aim

To recognise and encourage a healthy internal environment through the specification and installation of appropriate ventilation, equipment and finishes.

Assessment criteria

This issue is split into three parts:

Prerequisite - avoidance of asbestos
Minimising sources of air pollution (4 credits)
Adaptability - potential for natural ventilation (1 credit)

The following is required to demonstrate compliance:

Prerequisite

Materials containing asbestos are prohibited from being specified and used within the building.

Minimising sources of air pollution

One credit - Indoor air quality (IAQ) plan

An indoor air quality plan has been produced and implemented, with the objective of facilitating a process that leads to design, specification and installation decisions and actions that minimise indoor air pollution during the design, construction and occupation of the building. The indoor air quality plan must consider the following:

2.a

Removal of contaminant sources

2.b

Dilution and control of contaminant sources

2.c

Procedures for pre-occupancy flush out

2.d

Third party testing and analysis

2.e

Maintaining indoor air quality in-use

One credit - Ventilation

The building has been designed to minimise the concentration and recirculation of pollutants in the building as follows:

Criterion 2 has been achieved.

Provide fresh air into the building in accordance with the criteria of the national best practice standard for ventilation.

The location of fresh air intakes are designed to minimise the entry of air pollutants into the building, as follows:

5.a

In air-conditioned and mixed-mode buildings or spaces:

5.a.i

The location of the building's air intakes and exhausts, in relation to each other and external sources of pollution, is designed in accordance with EN 13779:2007 Annex A2 (see CN3 for alternative methods of compliance).

5.a.ii

Where EN 13779:2007 Annex A2 is not followed, the building’s air intakes and exhausts are over 10m of horizontal distance apart and intakes are over 10m of horizontal distance from sources of external pollution.

5.b

In naturally ventilated buildings or spaces: openable windows or ventilators are at least 10m of horizontal distance from sources of external pollution (including the location of any building related air exhausts).

Where present, HVAC systems must incorporate suitable filtration to minimise external air pollution, as defined in EN 13779:2007 Annex A3.

Areas of the building subject to large and unpredictable or variable occupancy patterns have carbon dioxide (CO₂) or air quality sensors specified and:

7.a

In mechanically ventilated buildings or spaces: sensors are linked to the mechanical ventilation system and provide demand-controlled ventilation to the space

7.b

In naturally ventilated buildings or spaces: sensors either have the ability to alert the building owner or manager when CO₂ levels exceed the recommended set point, or are linked to controls with the ability to adjust the quantity of fresh air, i.e. automatic opening windows or roof vents.

In countries where smoking within buildings is not prohibited by law, one of the following is specified:

8.a

A smoking ban covering all public and staff areas of the building is implemented, and 'No Smoking' signs are located in appropriate areas clearly visible to all occupants (i.e. common areas, offices and building entrances) OR

8.b

Where smoking is permitted in dedicated smoking rooms only and smoking is banned in all other areas with 'No Smoking' signs located in appropriate areas clearly visible to all occupants and where:

8.b.i

Ventilation rates in the dedicated smoking room are in accordance with national best practice standards for ventilation

8.b.ii

A separate ventilation system prevents recirculation within the room and the smoking room is separated from all other occupied areas by a lobby

8.b.iii

Air intakes or exhausts or openable windows or ventilators are positioned to minimise recirculation of smoke (see criterion 5).

One credit - Emissions from building products

Criterion 2 has been achieved.

At least four of the five product types listed in Table 17 meet the emission limits, testing requirements and any additional requirements listed in Table 17 or refer to CN3.5.

One credit - Post-construction indoor air quality measurement

Criterion 2 has been achieved.

The formaldehyde concentration in indoor air is measured post-construction (but pre-occupancy) and does not exceed 100µg/m³, averaged over 30 minutes.

The formaldehyde sampling and analysis is performed in accordance with ISO 16000-2 and ISO 16000-3 .

The total volatile organic compound (TVOC) concentration in indoor air is measured post-construction (but pre-occupancy) and does not exceed 300µg/m³, averaged over 8 hours with .

The TVOC sampling and analysis is performed in accordance with ISO 16000-5 and ISO 16000-6 or ISO 16017-1 .

Where levels are found to exceed these limits, the project team confirms the measures that have, or will be undertaken in accordance with the IAQ plan, to reduce the TVOC and formaldehyde levels to within the above limits.

The measured concentration levels of formaldehyde (µg/m³) and TVOC (µg/m³) are reported, via the BREEAM scoring and reporting tool, for the purpose of confirming criteria 12 to 15.

Adaptability - Potential for natural ventilation

One credit

The building ventilation strategy is designed to be flexible and adaptable to potential building occupant needs and climatic scenarios. This can be demonstrated as follows:

18.a

Occupied spaces of the building are designed to be capable of providing fresh air entirely via a natural ventilation strategy. The following are methods deemed to satisfy this criterion dependent upon the complexity of the proposed system:

18.a.i

The openable window area in each occupied space is equivalent to 5% of the gross internal floor area of that room or floor plate. For room or floor plates between 7m-15m depth, the openable window area must be on opposite sides and evenly distributed across the area to promote adequate cross-ventilation; OR

18.a.ii

The design demonstrates that the natural ventilation strategy provides an adequate cross flow of air to maintain the required thermal comfort conditions and ventilation rates.

For a strategy which does not rely on openable windows, or which has occupied spaces with a plan depth greater than 15m, the design must demonstrate that the ventilation strategy can provide adequate cross flow of air to maintain the required thermal comfort conditions and ventilation rates.

The natural ventilation strategy is capable of providing at least two levels of user control on the supply of fresh air to the occupied space (see CN3.12 for further details).

Note: Any opening mechanisms must be easily accessible and provide adequate user control over air flow rates to avoid draughts. Relevant industry standards for ventilation can be used to define 'adequate levels of fresh air' sufficient for occupancy and internal air pollution loads relevant to the building type.

Note: Residential buildings and residential institutions with self-contained flats and individual bedrooms must have a degree of openable window function. This does not need to provide two levels of user control (as required in criteria 18 and 19), but must be occupant controlled.

Exemplary level criteria

One credit

Criterion 2 has been achieved.

At least four of the five product types listed in Table 18 meet the emission limits, testing requirements and any additional requirements listed in Table 18

Two credits

Criterion 2 has been achieved.

All product types meet the emission limits, testing requirements and any additional requirements listed in Table 18.

Checklists and tables

Table 17: Emission criteria by product type

Product type (see CN3.1)	Emission limit*			Testing requirement (see CN3.2 and CN3.3)	Additional requirements
Product type (see CN3.1)	Formaldehyde	Total volatile organic compounds (TVOC)	Category 1A and 1B carcinogens	Testing requirement (see CN3.2 and CN3.3)	Additional requirements
Interior paints and coatings	≤ 0.06 mg/m³	≤ 1.0 mg/m³	≤ 0.001 mg/m³	EN 16402 10 or ISO 16000-9 11 or CEN/TS 16516 12 or CDPH Standard Method v1.1 13	Meet TVOC content limits (Table 19). Paints used in wet areas (e.g. bathrooms, kitchens, utility rooms) should protect against mould growth (see CN3.4).
Wood-based products (including wood flooring)	≤ 0.06 mg/m³ (Non-MDF) ≤ 0.08 mg/m³ (MDF)	≤ 1.0 mg/m³	≤ 0.001 mg/m³	ISO 16000-9 14 or CEN/TS 16516 15 or CDPH Standard Method v1.1 16 or EN 717-1 (formaldehyde emissions only) 17	N/A
Flooring materials (including floor levelling compounds and resin flooring)	≤ 0.06 mg/m³	≤ 1.0 mg/m³	≤ 0.001 mg/m³	ISO 10580 or ISO 16000-9 or CEN/TS 16516 or CDPH Standard Method v1.1	N/A
Ceiling, wall, and acoustic and thermal insulation materials	≤ 0.06 mg/m³	≤ 1.0 mg/m³	≤ 0.001 mg/m³		N/A
Interior adhesives and sealants (including flooring adhesives)	≤ 0.06 mg/m³	≤ 1.0 mg/m³	≤ 0.001 mg/m³	EN 13999 (Parts 1-4) 18^,19^,20^,21 or ISO 16000-9 or CEN/TS 16516 or CDPH Standard Method v1.1	N/A
* Compliance with emission limits shall be demonstrated after 28 days in an emission test chamber or earlier as stipulated by the relevant testing requirements standard.

Table 18: Exemplary level emission criteria by product type

Product type (see CN3.1)	Emission limit*					Additional requirement
Product type (see CN3.1)	Formaldehyde	Total volatile organic compounds (TVOC)	Total semi-volatile organic compounds (TSVOC)	Category 1A and 1B carcinogens	Testing requirement (see CN3.2 and CN3.3)	Additional requirement
Interior paints and coatings	≤ 0.01 mg/m³	≤ 0.3 mg/m³	≤ 0.1 mg/m³	≤ 0.001 mg/m³	EN 16402 22 or ISO 16000-9 or CEN/TS 16516 or CDPH Standard Method v1.1	Meet VOC content limits (Table 19). Paints used in wet areas (e.g. bathrooms, kitchens, utility rooms) should protect against mould growth (see CN3.4).
Wood-based products including wood flooring	≤ 0.01 mg/m³	≤ 0.3 mg/m³	≤ 0.1 mg/m³	≤ 0.001 mg/m³	ISO 16000-9 or CEN/TS 16516 or CDPH Standard Method v1.1 or EN 717-1 (formaldehyde emissions only) 23	N/A
Flooring materials (including floor levelling compounds and resin flooring)	≤ 0.01 mg/m³	≤ 0.3 mg/m³	≤ 0.1 mg/m³	≤ 0.001 mg/m³	ISO 10580 or ISO 16000-9 or CEN/TS 16516 or CDPH Standard Method v1.1	N/A
Ceiling, wall, and acoustic and thermal insulation materials	≤ 0.01 mg/m³	≤ 0.3 mg/m³	≤ 0.1 mg/m³	≤ 0.001 mg/m³	ISO 10580 or ISO 16000-9 or CEN/TS 16516 or CDPH Standard Method v1.1	N/A
Interior adhesives and sealants (including flooring adhesives)	≤ 0.01 mg/m³	≤ 0.3 mg/m³	≤ 0.1 mg/m³	≤ 0.001 mg/m³	EN 13999 (Parts 1-4) 24^,25^,26^,27 or ISO 16000-9 or CEN/TS 16516 or CDPH Standard Method v1.1	N/A
* Compliance with emission limits shall be demonstrated after 28 days in an emission test chamber or earlier as stipulated by the relevant testing requirements standard.

Table 19: Maximum TVOC content for paints and coatings

Product category	Free TVOC content of ready-to-use product (g/l)	Testing requirements (see CN3.3)
Interior matt walls and ceilings (Gloss <25@60°)	10	ISO 11890-2 or ISO 17895 or Calculation based on the ingredients and raw materials
Interior glossy walls and ceilings (Gloss >25@60°)	40
Interior trim and cladding paints for wood and metal	90
Interior trim varnishes and wood stains, including opaque wood stains	65
Interior minimal build wood stains	50
Primers	15
Binding primers	15
One-pack performance coatings	100
Two-pack reactive performance coatings for specific end use such as floors	80
Multi-coloured coatings	80
Decorative effect coatings	80

Compliance notes

Ref	Terms	Description
Shell and core (non-residential and residential institutions only)
CN1	Applicable assessment criteria	Prerequisite: criterion 1 Both options: All criteria relevant to the building type and function apply. Indoor air quality: criterion 2 Both options: This criterion is not applicable. Ventilation: criteria 3 to 8 Shell only: These criteria are not applicable. Shell and core: Criteria 4 and 5 are applicable Emissions levels: criteria 9 to 17 and 20 to 23 Both options: These criteria are not applicable. Adaptability - Potential for natural ventilation: criteria 18 to 19 Both options: All criteria relevant to the building type and function apply. Refer to Appendix D – Shell and core project assessments for a more detailed description of the shell and core assessment options.
CN1.1	Ventilation systems. See criteria 4 and 5	Shell and core: Where ventilation systems are not within the remit of the shell and core developer, compliance can be demonstrated through the building servicing strategy where this is predetermined by the built form or core services provision as appropriate to the shell and core option being followed.
Residential - Partially fitted and fully fitted
CN2	Applicable assessment criteria - Single and multiple dwellings	Prerequisite: criterion 1 Both options: All criteria relevant to the building type and function apply. Indoor air quality plan: criterion 2 Both options: This criterion is not applicable. Ventilation: criteria 3 to 8 Both options: Criteria 4 to 6 are applicable. Emissions from building products: criteria 9 to 10 Both options: Criterion 10 is applicable. Post-construction indoor air quality measurement: criteria 11 to 17 Both options: These criteria are not applicable. Adaptability - Potential for natural ventilation: criteria 18 to 19 Both options: All criteria relevant to the building type and function apply. Exemplary: criteria 20 to 23 Both options: These criteria are not applicable. Refer to Appendix E – Applicability of BREEAM New Construction to single and multiple dwellings, partially and fully fitted for a more detailed description of residential assessment options.
General
Minimising sources of air pollution
CN3	Alternative methods for demonstrating compliance with the air intake and exhaust criteria	Compliance with the criteria can be demonstrated using alternative methods (e.g. wind tunnel studies, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling), if such methods demonstrate that the proposed location of intakes and exhausts prevents significant recirculation of exhaust air under typical wind conditions.
CN3.1	Non-VOC emitting products	Inherently non-VOC emitting products such as brick, natural stone, concrete, ceramic tile, glass, metal surfaces, etc. do not need to be assessed and can be deemed fully compliant with the criteria, unless organic-based coatings, binders, or sealants are used in their production or finishes.
CN3.2	Testing requirements for emission limits	The testing requirements for emission limits are based on the use of standardised emission test chamber methods. Perforator, flask, desiccator and other extraction based test methods are specifically excluded. Compliance with these requirements may be met using alternative standards, where these stipulate emission test chamber methods similar to those in the standards listed in Table 17 and Table 18. BREEAM Assessors must submit details of any alternative standards to BRE Global for approval prior to awarding any credits for this issue.
CN3.3	Accreditation of organisations performing sampling or laboratory analysis	All organisations used for sampling and analysis of indoor air or for analysis of emissions from building products must be accredited to ISO/IEC 1702528 with specific accreditation covering: Sampling: Pumped sampling for formaldehyde in air; Pumped sampling for VOCs in air Chemical analysis: Determination of formaldehyde; Determination of VOCs. Sampling and chemical analysis of indoor air can be performed by separate organisations, but both must be accredited.
CN3.4	Paints used in wet areas	Evidence must be provided to show that paints used in wet areas protect against mould growth. Evidence could include appropriate test results (e.g. fungal or algal resistance testing) or manufacturer’s product information or declaration. There are European standard tests which could be used: EN 15457 29 and EN 15458 30.
CN3.5	BREEAM recognised alternative schemes for emission levels from building products	Guidance Note 22, available on the BREEAM website, provides a list of approved alternative schemes recognised by BREEAM that can be used to demonstrate compliance for the emission from building products levels. If assessors, clients or scheme operators wish to seek recognition of other schemes not currently listed, please contact the BREEAM office (breeam@bregroup.com) for details of the application process.
CN3.6	Products used in small quantities for ad hoc purposes	All products specified for a project that fall within one of the product types listed in Table 17 and Table 18 must be assessed under this issue. However, it is accepted that it may be difficult to control the specification of some products (e.g. sealants) that are used in small quantities for ad hoc purposes such as ‘making good’. As such, any products used in this way do not need to be assessed for this issue. The BREEAM Assessor should use their judgment to determine whether products being used or intended to be used for ad hoc purposes will be used in significant quantities and therefore need to be assessed for this issue.
CN3.7	Self-declaration of emission levels from building products	Self-declaration, by manufacturers, of emission levels from building products is acceptable if testing has been performed by an accredited laboratory in accordance with CN3.3 or where the manufacturer declares that the product contains no formaldehyde or VOC emitting substances.
CN3.8	Number of product types required to comply	Where four or fewer product types are specified within the building, the number of product types that need to be assessed for the emissions criteria reduces proportionally as follows: Where four products are present, three must comply Where three products are present, two must comply Where two or fewer products are present, all must comply.
CN3.9	Scope of assessment for product types installed or applied within a building	Only products that are installed or applied in parts of the building where their emissions are likely to affect indoor air quality need to be assessed. For the purposes of this issue, this means any product installed or applied inside of the inner surface of the building’s infiltration, vapour or waterproof membrane or, where not present, inside of the inner surface of the building envelope’s interior facing thermal insulation layer.
CN3.10	Furnishings	The scope of the VOC credits does not extend to furnishings, e.g. desks or shelving, it focuses on the key internal finishes and fittings integral to the building.
Adaptability - Potential for natural ventilation
CN3.11	Mechanically ventilated or cooled buildings. See criteria 18 and 19.	Buildings that employ a mechanically ventilated or cooled strategy are still able to achieve this credit provided it can be demonstrated that the features required by the criteria can be made easily available to the building user, e.g. windows fixed shut for an air-conditioned strategy can be modified to be opening windows. The aim of the potential for natural ventilation criteria is to ensure that a building is capable of providing fresh air using a natural ventilation strategy. Where the building is predominantly naturally ventilated, but mechanical ventilation is necessary to boost ventilation during peak conditions, (i.e. either maximum occupancy, peak temperature conditions or both) due to the function or specific usage patterns of the building, the potential for the natural ventilation credit can still be awarded provided calculations or modelling demonstrate that the mechanical ventilation system will be required for ≤ 5% of the annual occupied hours in the occupied spaces for the adopted building design or layout.
CN3.12	Levels of ventilation. See criterion 19.	The two levels of ventilation must be able to achieve the following: Higher level: higher rates of ventilation achievable to remove short term odours or prevent summertime overheating Lower level: adequate levels of draught-free fresh air to meet the need for good indoor air quality throughout the year, sufficient for the occupancy load and the internal pollution loads of the space.
CN3.13	Industrial buildings without offices	If the building does not contain any office areas, only the prerequisite within this issue applies.
CN3.14	Retail buildings without offices	The Adaptability - Potential for natural ventilation credit applies only to office areas. If the building does not contain any office areas, this credit is filtered out.

Methodology

None.

Evidence

Criteria	Interim design stage	Final post-construction stage
Prerequisite
1	The relevant section or clauses of the building specification or contract or appropriate legislation. Design drawings.	Manufacturers' literature. BREEAM Assessor’s site inspection report and photographic evidence or ‘as-built’ drawings, specification and calculations OR A formal letter from the design team or principal contractor confirming no changes have occurred since the design stage.
Minimising indoor air pollution
2–7	A copy of the indoor air quality plan. Relevant section or clauses of the building specification or contract. Design drawings.	A copy of the indoor air quality plan. BREEAM Assessor’s site inspection report and photographic evidence or ‘as-built’ drawings. For a naturally ventilated building, a letter from the design team or principal contractor confirming the building has been built in accordance with a design compliant with the BREEAM criteria. For a mechanically ventilated building, the commissioning manager’s performance testing report confirming the required fresh air rates are achieved.
9–10	A copy of the indoor air quality plan. Relevant section or clauses of the building specification or contract.	A copy of the indoor air quality plan. Letter from or copies of the manufacturer’s literature confirming testing standards and emissions achieved.
11–17	A copy of the indoor air quality plan. Commitment to carry out necessary testing post-construction.	A copy of the indoor air quality plan. Confirmation from the project team that the recommendations are still relevant and have been implemented. Testing results for formaldehyde and TVOCs.
Potential for natural ventilation
18–19	Relevant section or clauses of the building specification or contract. A formal letter from the design team with details of the ventilation strategy and calculations or results from appropriate software modelling tools.	Manufacturers’ or suppliers’ literature. BREEAM Assessor’s site inspection report and photographic evidence* or ‘as-built’ drawings, specification and calculations OR A formal letter from the design team or principal contractor confirming no changes have occurred since design stage. * A random spot check of a selection of occupied spaces is sufficient. The assessor is not required to check each opening in all spaces or rooms.

Additional information

Relevant definitions

Areas with a large and unpredictable occupancy

The following are examples of these types of space:

Auditoria
Gyms
Retail stores or malls
Cinemas
Waiting rooms.

Where the assessed building does not have any areas deemed to be large with an unpredictable pattern of occupancy, the criterion does not apply.

Category 1A and 1B carcinogens

Carcinogenic compounds detectable by the VOC emission testing requirements in Table 1 and Table 2 and that are classified as category 1A or 1B carcinogens in Annex VI to Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures,which are listed as Carcinogenic VOCs in Annex G.2 of prEN 16516 (draft).

Habitable or occupied room

A room used for dwelling purposes or a room in a non-dwelling occupied by people (e.g. office, hotel bedroom, classroom) but which is not used solely as a kitchen, bathroom, cellar, utility room or for storing plant or equipment.

Occupied spaces

See relevant definition provided in issue Hea 01 Visual comfort. The following building areas, where relevant to the building type, can be excluded from the definition of occupied spaces for the potential for natural ventilation criteria:

Ancillary building areas, e.g. WCs, corridors, stairwells, store rooms, plant rooms
Swimming or hydrotherapy pools
Sauna, steam room or hammam (for hotel building type only)
Catering and small staff kitchens
Washrooms or changing areas
Laboratory or other areas where strictly controlled environmental conditions are a functional requirement
Operational, shop floors or ancillary areas in industrial buildings.

Occupied spaces requiring local exhaust ventilation, e.g. laboratories, workshops and food technology rooms, must still demonstrate that they meet the criteria for potential for natural ventilation (unless listed as an exempted area in this definition).

Openable window area

The openable window area is defined as the geometric free ventilation area created when a ventilation opening, e.g. window, is open to its normal operational fully designed extent for ventilation purposes (i.e. this excludes open areas created when reversible windows are opened for cleaning etc.). It is not the glazed area of a façade or the glazed area of the part of the window that is openable (unless it opens fully).

Sources of external pollution

This includes, but is not limited to the following:

Highways and the main access roads on the assessed site
Car parks, delivery areas and vehicle waiting bays
Other building exhausts, including from building services plant, industrial or agricultural processes.

Service and access roads with restricted and infrequent access (for example roads used only for waste collection) are unlikely to represent a significant source of external pollution. These roads can therefore be excluded from the criteria of this issue. This does not include vehicle pick-up or drop-off or waiting bays.

Total semi-volatile organic compound (TSVOC)

Sum of the concentrations of identified and unidentified volatile organic compounds eluting between n-hexadecane (excluded) and n-docosane (included) on a gas chromatographic column.

Total volatile organic compound (TVOC)

Sum of the concentrations of identified and unidentified volatile organic compounds eluting between and including n-hexane and n-hexadecane on a gas chromatographic column.

Other information

Post-construction indoor air quality measurement

The measurement of formaldehyde and TVOC must be made in accordance with the relevant standards (as listed in the criteria). ISO 16000-234 and ISO 16000-5 provide guidance on sampling strategies for formaldehyde and VOCs, respectively. Sampling should be performed in rooms that will be occupied for long periods of time such as bedrooms, living rooms, classrooms, offices, etc. A representative number of rooms should be sampled, rather than every room in the building. For example, in an office building, sampling of one cellular or single occupancy office should suffice to assess the indoor air quality for that type of habitable space in the building (assuming the other cellular offices have the same materials specification and ventilation strategy). In larger rooms, such as open-plan office areas, additional sampling locations may be required in order to understand the homogeneity of the indoor environment.

Uncertainties in sampling and analysis are inevitable and unavoidable, therefore it is recommended that replicate samples are taken at each sampling location (ideally a minimum of three samples for each measurement parameter). Before sampling, naturally ventilated rooms should be intensively ventilated for 15 minutes and then outer doors and windows closed for at least 8 hours (e.g. overnight) before sampling begins with the room still closed off. For mechanically ventilated rooms, the ventilation system should be running under standard operating conditions for at least for 3 hours before sampling begins. Sampling locations should be at least 1m to 2m from a wall and at a height of between 1m to 1.5m.

This information is provided to assist project teams and BREEAM Assessors on the appropriate scope of post-construction indoor air quality measurement, and, as such, is intended as guidance only and not a compliance requirement. The sampling strategy should be determined based on the advice of the appropriate person appointed to conduct the testing.