Environmental evaluation of the Federal Records Center in Overland, Missouri

Technical Report · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1992

OSTI ID:7008710

Persily, A K; Dols, W S; Nabinger, S J

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). The 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 the 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 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.

• Research Organization: National Inst. of Standards and Technology (BFRL), Gaithersburg, MD (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7008710
• Report Number(s): PB-92-238575/XAB; NISTIR--4883
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540130 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
ALDEHYDES
BUILDINGS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL BUILDINGS
FEDERAL REGION VII
FLUIDS
FORMALDEHYDE
GASES
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
MISSOURI
MONITORING
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
OFFICE BUILDINGS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
PUBLIC BUILDINGS
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADON
RARE GASES
USA
VENTILATION