Sustainable Facilities Tool U.S. General Services Administration

Prevent adverse health effects through improved air filtration in the building ventilation system.

Establish ways for building occupants to report building-related health problems.

https://www.gsa.gov/governmentwide-initiatives/federal-highperformance-buildings/resource-library/health/wellbuilt-for-wellbeing

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http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/indoorairquality/index.html

http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104429

Poorly designed lighting systems, characterized by uncomfortable fluctuations in luminance levels or excessive glare, causes visual discomfort and l...

Leaks in the water system, if left unidentified and untreated, can serve as a catalyst for mold growth within the building space. Prolonged exposure...

It is no surprise that our physical and mental well-being is directly impacted by our environment: the air we breathe, the temperatures we feel, and...

In aggregate, improvements in IEQ have been estimated to have potential annual savings of: $6-14 billion from reduced respiratory disease $1-4 b...

The President issued a memorandum directing U.S. government agencies to take additional steps to protect and restore domestic populations of pollina...

Improvements in indoor environments are estimated to save $17-48 billion in total health gains and $20-160 billion in worker performance.

IEQ is all about health and comfort. The optimum indoor comfort "settings" for one individual is never the same as his neighbor. Visit the Enhancin...

Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) are symptoms that affect a person within the building, primarily office spaces, but improve when away from the building...

Research has demonstrated that some of the largest impacts on humans stemming from within the office building relate to chronic exposure to environm...

Ventilation, filtration, and the associated indoor air quality are important for maintaining occupant health and satisfaction. Providing ventilation...

Poor indoor air quality resulting from dusts, molds, pests, and airborne contaminants like VOCs can lead to dizziness, skin irritations, asthma, sho...

IEQ improvements can save $10-30 billion from reduced symptoms of sick building syndrome.Source: Fisk, W.J,”Health and Productivity Gains from Bette...

Water, while essential for human survival and a necessity within the office environment, has additional human impacts relating to health and safety.

Ventilation is the process of "changing" or replacing air in any space to remove airborne contaminants such as moisture, odors, emissions from build...

Planted roofs can have positive health and well-being impacts on both building occupants and the general population.

Lighting Ecosystem Lighting in the workplace can be better understood as an ecosystem that includes lighting design as just one component of a netw...

Research has shown that environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), or secondhand smoke, from cigarettes, pipes, and cigars has cancer-causing airborne parti...

Defining and establishing lighting quality and performance criteria for the daily activities of the worker is the role of the workplace specialist. ...

Greywater is the water stemming from processes such as showers, hand basins, or kitchen sinks but does not contain any human waste. Reusing greywate...

A primary component of a successful indoor environment quality strategy is air; specifically its composition, odor, temperature, and moisture conten...

The occupant’s health and productivity is directly affected by the IEQ and therefore their well-being should be considered throughout the inte...

The workplace specialist role is important to have at the table, as he/she is tightly engaged with the human behavior aspect of creating a healthy a...

Occupant buy-in and cooperation is essential to maintaining indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and the health, financial, and human impacts associat...

To optimize worker performance, treat indoor air temperature to remain within the range of 70 °F to 73 °F.1 Providing thermal controls to al...

IEQ investments can face barriers even with promising payback potential. Quantifying the economic benefit of improved occupant morale and performanc...

The estimated benefits of a 30% reduction of dampness and mold in offices include 1.5 million days of avoided absence per year, worth $0.5 billion...

Moisture can enter the office building in a number of ways, including leaks in the building envelope and plumbing systems or excessive moisture in t...

The Food Service Manager advises on sustainable concessions contracts, consistent with federal sustainability and health and wellness guidance, and ...

Human behavior and interaction with the building space plays a critical component in achieving holistic sustainability. Benefits can only be achieve...

Providing high quality thermal and ventilation comfort as part of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in commercial offices is a high priority for fe...

An environmental conscious HVAC upgrade can reduce energy usage bills by lowering resource consumption and improving the indoor environment for huma...

The integrative design process understands that buildings, their components, and their context are interrelated. Observe this principle by involving...

Studies have demonstrated likely productivity gains attributed to increased occupant comfort of 0.5 – 5% from direct improvements in the quali...

When considering an IEQ focused renovation project of any size, consider bundling components together to create strategies that deliver the largest ...

Provide occupants with safe and healthy ventilation and thermal comfort, in alignment with applicable ASHRAE standards and statutory requirements....

The resource impacted greatest from indoor environmental quality is not energy, water, or physical materials themselves; it’s the occupants th...

Building materials, such as paints, sealants, adhesives, office equipment and furnishings, can emit invisible, odorous, and potentially harmful gass...

Thermal conditions, which include air temperature, relative humidity, and velocity, greatly impact overall occupant comfort and associated productiv...

Improvements in indoor environmental quality have the potential to reduce liability to building owners, increase the resale value of the building an...

The commercial cleaning industry in the U.S. annually uses 8 billion pounds of chemicals annually.1 These chemicals, as well as operations and maint...

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an economically and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that utilizes preventative measures, m...

Incorporating an entryway dirt capture or walk-off system by the exterior doors collects indoor pollutants that would otherwise be introduced into t...

The term "biophilia", meaning love of nature, is increasingly being used in high-performance building design. The goal of biomimicry is to recreate ...

“Employ strategies that reduce stormwater runoff and discharges of polluted water offsite, to protect the natural hydrology and watershed he...

Promote strategies to reduce stormwater runoff and discharges of polluted water offsite to protect the natural hydrology and watershed health. T...

The integrative design process understands that buildings, their components, and their context are interrelated. Whole-building systems observe this...

Creating a sustainable and well-functioning lighting strategy by integrating efficient lighting technologies, controls, and space layout has been sh...

HVAC systems must be commissioned (and recommissioned), and integrative design principles should be employed. Energy efficiency necessitates HVA...

Submeters offer an exciting look into a building's energy consumption. While submetering systems by themselves have no direct impact on resource use...

Lighting accounts for nearly 20% of the total electricity costs of commercial buildings in the United States.1 Effective lighting systems invol...

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are responsible for providing thermal comfort and fresh air to building occupants. This is...

Americans spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors1 and as a result their comfort, health, and work performance rely heavily on indoor e...