ENSURING A QUALITY INDOOR ENVIRONMENT

Ensuring that a hotel's indoor environment is one that will keep guests coming back is a never-ending job. From design to construction/renovation to operation, a hotel operator must be cognizant of issues associated with the indoor environment and address them proactively as well as reactively.

The U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC's) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating systems (www.usgbc.org) take a comprehensive approach to sustainable building design, construction, and operation, addressing total environment (e.g., thermal comfort, daylighting and views, productivity of workforce, ventilation, cleaning products). In a hotel, it is critical that not only air quality be addressed, but all other factors affecting the guest experience. Although no specific certification exists for hotels, the USGBC and American Hotel & Lodging Association (www.ahla.com) are working together to develop one.

Design

Even if LEED certification is not sought, a number of design measures can go a long way toward ensuring better air quality:

An ultraviolet light

• Specify proper dehumidification and pressurization. Consider desiccant dehumidification.

• Specify sloped, corrosion-resistant drain pans.

• Specify low-VOC materials (e.g., carpets, finishes, wall coverings).

• Specify dedicated air-return ductwork.

• Locate outdoor-air intakes upwind of and away from external equipment and discharge (cooling towers, kitchens, laundry rooms, lavatory exhausts).

• Specify access doors and signs that simplify the inspection and cleaning of coils, drain pans, and humidifiers.

• Specify cooling towers with drift eliminators.

• Locate humidifiers and cooling coils so that moisture droplets do not accumulate on surfaces other than those intended.

• Consider specifying high-efficiency filters that remove microorganisms greater than 2 µm.

• Specify demand-based ventilation to ensure the proper amount of outside air is introduced to the building.

• Implement a building-commissioning program.

• Specify ultraviolet- (UV-) light systems to minimize mold growth.

• Specify carpet displaying the Carpet and Rug Institute (www.carpet-rug.org) Green Label Plus Indoor Air Quality Carpet Testing Program seal.

Construction/renovation

• Consider applying for LEED for New Construction, LEED for Commercial Interiors, or LEED for Core & Shell certification.

• Clean or replace HVAC-system filters prior to occupancy.

• If the building is occupied, isolate construction zones using airtight barriers and separate ventilation systems.

• Consider flushing the building of air several days prior to occupancy, after furnishings and finishes are installed. Tests indicate that, with proper ventilation, carpet emissions dissipate within 48 to 72 hr.

• Keep construction materials covered to avoid moisture buildup.

Operation

• Consider applying for LEED for Existing Buildings certification.

• Implement a preventive/predictive-maintenance plan for all HVAC equipment and IAQ, including a computerized maintenance-management system.

• Install high-efficiency-particulate-air (HEPA) filters on all air-handling equipment.

• Install HEPA filters on all vacuum cleaners.

• Institute a retrocommissioning program, including an IAQ audit.

• Maintain a proper supply of fresh air.

• Maintain relative humidity in the 30-to-60-percent range.

• Monitor systems, providing frequent cleaning and maintenance.

• Consider using electronic air cleaners.

• Educate management and housekeeping personnel on IAQ.

• Use environmentally friendly cleaning supplies and chemicals.

• Maintain the temperature of stored hot water at 140°F.

• Employ filtration and UV lights in air-handling equipment.

• Recommission or retrocommission equipment to ensure optimal performance.

CONCLUSION

The hospitality industry is ever-changing, posing challenges that affect the health and well-being of guests. With hotels operating around the clock, the hotel operator must take seriously his or her commitment to the quality of the indoor environment. No shortcuts should be taken when human life, not to mention the possibility of repeat patronage — the lifeblood of this highly competitive industry — is involved.

NOTE

1. http://justice.loyola.edu/∼klc/BL472/Legionnaire/history.html

For past HPAC Engineering feature articles, visit www.hpac.com.

A member of HPAC Engineering's Editorial Advisory Board, John J. Lembo, LEED AP, formerly the senior director of energy for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., is vice president and managing director of The Ferreira Group, a firm specializing in building commissioning and facilities management.