- Author
- Persily, A. K. | Dols, W. S. | Nabinger, S. J.
- Title
- Environmental Evaluation of the Federal Records Center in Overland Missouri.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Sponsor
- General Services Administration, Washington, DC
- Report
- NISTIR 4883, August 1992, 28 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
- carbon dioxide | carbon monoxide | formaldehyde | indoor air quality | office buildings | radon | ventilation
- Abstract
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is studying the thermal and environmental performance of new federal office buildings for the Public Buildings Service of the General Services Administration (GSA). This project involves long-term performance monitoring starting before occupancy and extending into early occupancy in three new office buildings. The performance evaluation includes an assessment of the thermal integrity of the building envelope, long-term monitoring of ventilation system performance, and measurement of indoor levels of selected pollutants. This is the second report describing the study of the Federal Records Center in Overland Missouri, and this report presents measurement results from preoccupancy to full occupancy. Ventilation rates ranged from 0.3 to 2.6 air changes per hour (ach) with the minimum levels being below both the building design value of 0.8 ach and the recommended minimum in ASHRAE Standard 62-1989. The measured radon concentrations were 2 pCi/L or less on the sub-basement level, and less than or equal to 0.4 pCi/L on the other levels. Formaldehyde concentrations ranged from 0.03 to 0.07 ppm,. Daily peak levels of carbon dioxide in the building were typically between 500 and 800 ppm. Maximum carbon monoxide levels were typically on the order of 1 to 2 ppm, essentially tracking outdoor levels induced by automobile traffic. There have been some occasions of elevated carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide levels in the building associated with unexplained episodic increases in the outdoor levels.