A new guide for enhancing the indoor air quality of buildings, the Indoor Air Quality Guide: Best Practices for Design, Construction and Commissioning has just been developed by SMACNA, along with other building industry associations and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The book describes 40 strategies for achieving critical IAQ objectives related to moisture management, ventilation, filtration, and air cleaning and source control. It highlights how design and construction teams can work together to ensure that good IAQ strategies are incorporated from initial design through project completion. The project was developed over a three year period and supported with a $510,000 co-operative agreement with the EPA.

To improve IAQ in buildings, the guide suggests bringing IAQ into the very earliest design discussions and not to get stuck retrofitting the design for IAQ at the end of the process.

A free summary of the Indoor Air Quality Guide can be downloaded at www.ashrae.org/technology.