MaterialSpaceDetails - GSA Sustainable Facilities Tool

Design Guidance

Overall Strategies

A ceiling in an office can either be open, dropped ceiling, or hard lid.

Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans can offer occupants the ability to control ambient comfort without making adjustments to the room, zone, or building mechanical system. This provides potential energy savings. Use of ceiling fans in some environments can also minimize the use of the building mechanical system, especially when paired with operable windows in temperate seasons or climates.

Best Practices

Use acoustical ceiling tiles with high Noise Reduction Coefficients (NRC) to reduce noise pollution and allow for ease of access to the plenum space for maintenance.
Use light-colored ceiling tiles to reflect daylight to allow natural light to effectively move throughout the space.
Evaluate sustainable attributes such as regional manufacturing, recycled content, and low VOC to determine the most appropriate materials to use for a sustainable ceiling.
Drop down soffits and accent lights decorate the space, however these features are resource intensive, use these strategies conservatively.
Use acoustical ceiling tiles with high Noise Reduction Coefficients (NRC) to reduce reverberation time and improve speech intelligibility for occupant comfort.

Compare Ceiling Options

- Ceiling Tile
- Gypsum Board
- Metal Systems
- Wood
- Open Ceiling

EB = Existing BuildingsNC = New Construction and Major Renovation

Federal Requirements

Guiding Principles

Materials - Recycled Content ( Guiding Principles criteria 5.1)

Section: Guiding Principles 5:  Reduce the Environmental Impact of Materials

“Use products that meet or exceed the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) recycled content recommendations for building construction, modifications, operations, and maintenance, where applicable and as required by statute.”

See the Green Procurement Compilation (GPC) for recycled content recommendations by product type.
US EPA | Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines
Low-Emitting Materials and Products ( Guiding Principles criteria 4.3)

Section: Guiding Principle 4:  Enhance the Indoor Environment

“Purchase, acquire, and ensure the use or application of low-emitting materials and products during the planning, construction, modification, maintenance, and operations of the facility.”

Whole Building Design Guide | Evaluating and Selecting Green Products
2018 IgCC Section 801
Materials - Biobased Content ( Guiding Principles crtieria 5.2)

Section: Guiding Principle 5: Reduce the Environmental Impact of Materials

“Use products with the highest content level per the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) bio-based content recommendations, where applicable and as required by statute.”

USDA BioPreferred.gov | About BioPreferred
USDA BioPreferred.gov | Policies and Laws
Whole Building Design Guide | Sustainable
Products ( Guiding Principles criteria 5.3)

Section: Guiding Principle 5:  Reduce the Environmental Impact of Materials

“Procure and utilize construction materials and building supplies that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment over their life cycle when compared with competing products that serve the same purpose.”

See the Green Procurement Compilation (GPC) for federal requirements by product type.
Whole Building Design Guide | Federal Green Construction Guide for Specifiers
EPA Greener Products and Services
2018 IgCC Section 901
Indoor Air Quality during Construction and Operations ( Guiding Principles criteria 4.6)

Section: Guiding Principle 4:  Enhance the Indoor Environment 

“Implement necessary policies and protocols to prevent moisture damage to building materials and protect indoor air quality during renovations, repairs, and construction. Ensure indoor air quality procedures are in place that protect the air quality for occupants of the building during operations”

2018 IgCC Sections 1001

Ceiling

Design Guidance

Overall Strategies

Ceiling Fans

Best Practices

Compare Ceiling Options

Federal Requirements

Guiding Principles

Materials - Recycled Content ( Guiding Principles criteria 5.1)

Low-Emitting Materials and Products ( <span>Guiding Principles criteria 4.3</span>)

Materials - Biobased Content ( Guiding Principles crtieria 5.2)

Products ( <span>Guiding Principles criteria 5.3</span>)

Indoor Air Quality during Construction and Operations ( <span id="docs-internal-guid-f1e45d2e-bf74-2656-0c1b-777092dd54a0"><span><span>Guiding Principles criteria 4.6</span></span></span>)