Newly purpose build industrial units were being constructed on the outskirts of London in close proximity to the Heathrow airport. The location of the unit in an industrial areas and close proximity of significant sources of pollution from major road network and air traffic had to be taken into consideration when conduction a BREEAM air quality assessment. The industrial premises were located on Stockley Close Business Park and consist of three individual unit. The units have large open plan floor on the ground floors with large shutter doors, concrete floors and profile sheets walls and roofs. All units also have a small office section located at the front of the building and consisting from access foyer on the ground floor and offices and toilets on the first floor. Several ventilation and air conditioning units are located in each room.
Prior to the assessment we have collected environmental data to ensure that the test parameters are within the required tolerance ranges. The outside temperature was around 20 degrees and humidity approximately 50%. The environmental data from outside and also from within the tested premises are important as corrections might have to be made to the result values.
As typical for any BREEAM indoor air quality assessment we have collected a required number of samples based on the complexity of the premises, use of the rooms and ventilation requirements. We have collected just over twenty volatile organic compounds samples and formaldehyde samples to fully evaluate the air quality in the premises.
Our customer has carried out a schedule of works in accordance with his indoor air quality plant to minimise and eliminate undesirable chemical compounds from the development. At the time of the testing he has achieved to reduce the volatile organic compounds levels below to about 30 percent of the limit. The formaldehyde level was successfully reduced to approximately 20 percent of the maximum permissible limit.
