Building Regulations and Standards

Relating to Air Quality

Julie Godefroy

Sustainability consultant

Breathe Easy

Breathe easy – engineering air quality solutions now

Overview programme

09:00

09:30 Chair’s welcome

09:40 Every breath we take: the lifelong impact of air pollution

10:00 BUCCANEER: Birmingham Urban Climate Change Adaptation with Neighbourhood

Estimates of Environmental Risk

10:10 How environmental engineering, design of buildings and operation can provide

healthier indoor environments

10:20 Interdependencies bet ween housing, energy and wellbeing

10:30 Building regulations and standards related to air quality

10:40

10:45

Hard and green engineering solutions t o tackle poor air qualit y in our homes, hospitals and transport systems

Homes

11:00 Safe as houses? Ventilation and health in dwellings

Overview of drivers

World Health Organization

European Union

Air Quality Directive, 2008 Emissions Ceiling Directive, Paints Directive, regulations and standards

UK Clean Air Act, 1968 Environment Act, 1995

Health Act - Smoking Ban, 2006 Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 (devolved national responsibility)

Regulations and product standards

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002

(COSHH), Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS)

Building Regulations

(Parts C, D1, F)

Local Authorities Air Quality Management

Areas, Air Quality Assessments at planning

Guidance - CIBSE, BS Voluntary schemes -

BREEAM, WELL

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Air Pollutant Levels – Regulations and Standards

Neither the concentration limits set by government, nor the World Health Organization’s air quality

guidelines, define levels of exposure that are entirely safe for the whole population (RCP).

Annual average

Shorter-term average Ozone

mg/m3, 8hr 100 120

F

400

PM10

mg/m3 40 50

24hr, max 35 times

24hr

#2hr

PM2.5

mg/m3, annual 15 10 25

2020

24hr

2020

now #2hr

288 (1hr)

mg/m3 40

F NO2 F

200

24hr, max 18 times

Air Pollutant Levels – Regulations and Standards

TVOC

mg/m3, 8hrs 300 500

F

Formaldehyde

mg/m3, 30min 30 100 2500

Carbon Monoxide

mg/m3, 8hr 10 35

F

7 100 (short-term exposure)

F

Outdoor and Indoor Pollutants

© RCP, 2016

Emissions to the outdoors – Plant, vehicles

Outdoor levels Emissions to the indoors – Smoking, building, some products

Indoor levels – Radon, mould control,

CO, VOCs, ozone, NO2

So What’s The Problem?

Building Regulations Part F Principles & enforcement of performance criteria

“ Ventilation is simply the removal of ‘stale’ indoor air from a building and its replacement with ‘fresh’ outside air. It is assumed within the Approved Document that the outside air is of reasonable quality. This Approved Document does not address contamination from outdoor sources. “

“Tick-box” BREEAM, incl. VOC standards Planning impact assessment >> Value of performance review and monitoring e.g. WELL

Outdoor Air Quality

Annual WHO guideline

Annual UK objective

Annual WHO guideline

Annual UK objective

Annual UK objective & WHO guideline

Outdoor Air Quality

Urban Microclimate

© Julie Futcher

Guidance

1) Strategic site assessment Site and building assessment within their surroundings Beyond “impact assessment”: integrate air quality in the design process, set air quality targets - WHO, BS 13779 Masterplan decisions on building location and low-impact transport modes

2) Strategic design decisions Layout of buildings Location of inlets and exhausts - CIBSE TM21 Space planning for pedestrian and cyclist amenities - BREEAM/Code/HQM, WELL

3) Minimising sources of pollution Passive design and energy efficiency first - Part L, BREEAM/Code/HQM Low-NOx plant – boilers and back-up generators - Regulations, BREEAM/HQM, WELL Minimising indoor sources e.g. low VOC materials; printers - CIBSE TM40, CIBSE KS17

3) Filtration Particulates e.g. F7 filters in urban areas… and in residences? - CIBSE Guide A / BS 13779:2007 Further options e.g. NOx removal, carbon filters - CIBSE, WELL

4) Ventilation rates – Part F, CIBSE Guide A, WELL

5 ) Commissioning and handover

6 ) Operation: Monitoring and maintenance

Thank you !

Julie@JulieGodefroySustainability.co.uk JulieG_Sust

www.juliegodefroysustainability.co.uk www.tranquilcity.co.uk

due to outdoor air pollution