Rating System

LEED BD+C: New Construction, LEED BD+C: New Construction, LEED BD+C: New Construction, LEED BD+C: Schools, LEED ID+C: Commercial Interiors, LEED O+M: Existing Buildings, LEED O+M: Existing Buildings

Rating System Version

v2 - LEED 2.0, v2 - LEED 2.2, v2 - LEED 2.2, v2 - Schools 2007, v2 - LEED 2.0, v2 - LEED 2.0, v3 - LEED 2008

Inquiry

The project is a 15,000sf fire station in Texas.\nTo protect the building\'s HVAC system, we will be flushing out the building using a temporary heating unit using 100% outside air. We will use the equivalent performance methodology of providing 14,000ft3/ft2 and ending the flush out on the 14th day after construction, while maintaing 60 degrees. This unit will not be tied to the building\'s ductwork.\nThe construction schedule for the project requires that the building be occupied in stages.\nWe are proposing the following plan\n1. Flush out the first half of the living quarters portion by dividing the building with doors and by providing a temporary air-tight enclosure in a corridor. All vents and return air grilles will be sealed to avoid any cross contamination.\n\n2. Flush out the second half of the living quarters portion by the process outlined above.\n\n3. We are not planning to flush out the apparatus bay and the supporting rooms. These rooms do not have doors and open directly onto the bay. The bay does have unit heaters mounted high above the floor that serve to protect the equipment from extreme cold and to prevent the piping from freezing. The supporting rooms do not have any heaters or HVAC equipment. Our understanding is that flush out would not be necessary because of the nature of these spaces and because they are not served by a HVAC system. It would not be possible to flush them out using the standard LEED methodology of using the installed HVAC systems. Further, the bay usually has at least one 14x14 door open when the fire suppression personal are in there.\nOur request for interpretation is if this plan is acceptable.