In this series of articles, I will be focusing on Green Building Best Practices and how dealing with airborne pollutants can help your design and construction projects reach a higher leave of efficiency and sustainability. This first article in the series will focus on specific projects and talk about one or two elements that make the project “green.”
During construction, pollutants are released into the air; drywall dust, saw dust, dirt, off gassing or toxins from newly installed carpet, sealants and furniture. These airborne toxins can affect not only the workers but eventual occupants as well. A well conceived best practices plan can help contractors and builders deal with these issues.
At the beginning of a project, you team should develop a IAQ plan that will allow them to control dust at the job site by using walk-off mats, covering ductwork and materials, as well as controlling emission Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) by using products with the lowest possible levels of toxins as well as providing proper ventilation during instillation.
Another method is to do a complete building flush out, which not only clears the space of many of these toxins – but earns a credit towards LEED Certification, if that is one of your project criteria. For example, one recent project called for flushing a multi story building with 14,000 cubic ft of outside air per sf of floor area. This is no small task, and in the case of this project took 19.5 days to complete.
Being able to complete a full building flush-our is the most effective way to ensure that the building is free of all particulates and VOCs that are left after the construction process, and a great step to include in your long term green Best Practices.
About Shawmut Design and Construction
Shawmut Design and Construction is a 100% employee-owned company headquartered in Boston with offices in New York, Providence, Las Vegas, and New Haven. Shawmut is a leading ENR top 100-ranked national construction management firm providing client-oriented services in the following markets: Academic, Commercial, Corporate Interiors, Cultural and Historic Preservation, Gaming, Healthcare and Science, Hotels, Restaurants, Retail, and Spas and Health Clubs.
