Air filtration | WELL Standard

#25195 - Is this applicable to unconditioned, non-regularly-occupied and/or spaces with no direct supply air?

This requirement is applicable to unconditioned and non-regularly occupied spaces, unless it can be shown that the air from these areas cannot migrate to other spaces. This requirement is not applicable to spaces with no direct supply air from the outdoors with direct exhaust (no recirculation) to remove internally generated particles.

#25171 - In the project, fan coil units (terminal units of the ventilation system) may recirculate air locally but only to maintain desired indoor temperature, and fresh air is constantly being supplied via these units. Most importantly, no recirculated air is introduced into main air ducts (there are no main air ducts for recirculated air). In this case, do the requirements of Part 1 (Feature 05 Air Filtration) not apply?

For Part 1, if the fan coil units are strictly local recirculation within a single ventilation zone (which may be different than a thermal zone) then Part 1 would not be required to be met at the fan coil unit. If the fan coils serve multiple ventilation zones, these would be functioning as a local air handling unit and the requirements of Part 1 would need to be met. The requirements of Feature 05, Part 2 would be applicable at any point where the outside air supply can be addressed before it is introduced into the project space. This could be at the 100% outside air unit at the roof, or within the individual fan coil units (in this design arrangement), depending on design consideration.

#24456 - For Part 1, if there is no rack space available and the project cannot accommodate a combination carbon/particle filter in the system, what other options are available?

Please note that rack space needs to be available only in the main air ducts for recirculated air. (If there is no recirculated air as a part of the system, or if there are no main air ducts for recirculated air, then this feature may not apply.) If there is a recirculated air system and rack space is not available, then it is possible to submit an alternative adherence path (AAP) to suggest a different strategy for meeting the intent. Please review the published AAPs for this feature to see other strategies that have been approved.

#24457 - For New & Existing Interiors projects that do not have control over the base building mechanical system, would the Feature 05 requirements be excluded from compliance?

IWBI recognizes that tenants often do not have control of base building mechanical systems. In such instances, Feature 05 is considered outside the scope of the project, and therefore not applicable. The project team will need to provide documentation confirming the scope concern.

The project will still need to achieve the Feature 01 Air Quality performance requirements, which may require the project to implement alternative design solutions, such as installing stand alone air purifiers within the space to filter air. Please note that achieving the air concept precondition features, such as Feature 05 Air Filtration, will support the project achieving Feature 01 Air Quality Standards.

#24459 - Are requirements for Feature 05 only applicable to central HVAC systems or do they apply to split-systems and wall-mounted air conditioning units as well?

Feature 05 requirements do not distinguish between types of HVAC systems. Depending on the installed system, the team may be able to apply an alternative solution to meet the intent of Feature 05.