I like Mike's suggestions here. I believe that almost all construction mateirals are required to list VOC's (volatile organic content) are so in the architectural specs you can specifiy lower VOC materials, especially in the areas that are collections intensive. Conservators can also be consulted to review potential materials and perform some testing for organic acids. The floor tile or carpet may pass, but the glue may not, for instance. I always recommend that musuems take a month or more to shake down the new building. This is not only to allow the building offgassing to "flush" but to ensure that the building and it's systems are all stable and in good working order (HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing and drainage, etc.). One thing you have to be scrupulous about is in specifying that the contractors perform clean-up that passes inspection and is signed off by a responsible party. When I was with a major museum and we movbed into a new collections and conservation building in the late 1990's, we had fiberglass insulation blowing out of the air ducts and raining down on us every day at work for over a year. The contractor had left all sorts of debris inside the ducts and with the volume of air repalcement in the HVAC system it was continually dispersed over the employees. And it took the engineers months to balance the HVAC system between the various zones that were established in the labs, collections storage spaces, and offices. So, building in a generous shake down period, before moving the collections in, is always good practice. Cheers! Dave David Harvey Conservator Los Angeles, California -----Original Message----- From: Michael McHugh <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 11:17:03 -0400 Subject: Re: off-gas Marielle, I think it is more appropriate to cite a range rather than an average time span for allowing building materials to offgas. Factors that come into play are the collection type and the kinds of building materials used in the construction. If the building was designed to house the collection, care should have been taken to choose building materials that have a minimum amount of offgassing. 'Green' building indoor air quality management plans call for a minimum two week building flush-out period using new filters and 100% outside air after construction ends. Some plans call for up to three months. These plans are generally designed to protect building occupants; some pollutants can be damaging to collections at lower concentrations. Construction schedules are usually rushed so there are also a number of air testing procedures that can be performed instead of, or in addition to, a building flush-out. You may want to reference "Pollutants in the Museum Environment: Practical Strategies for Problem Solving in Design, Exhibition and Storage" by Pamela B. Hatchfield, Archetype Publications and "Museum Collection Storage" by E. Verner Johnson and Joanne C. Horgan, UNESCO. Mike >1. Does anyone know of an average time span to allow a new building >to off gas before moving in >collections? (Brand new building-all >new materials) Carpet? (There is not much in the space) >paint? >Other things to watch out for? -- ***************************************************************** Michael McHugh, AIA LEED Accredited Professional E. Verner Johnson and Associates Museum Architects and Planners 222 Berkeley Street, Suite 1350 Boston, MA 02116 tel: 617-437-6262 fax: 617-437-1272 http://www.vernerjohnson.com ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).