Denys: Air Quality Tests In Haren Prison Village
Scope
Airscan assisted Denys in post-construction & pre-occupation total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) and Formaldehyde tests following BREEAM certification requirements in a recently built prison village in Haren, Belgium.
Project Overview
The Haren prison village represents one of Belgium’s recent initiatives to address issues related to overcrowded prisons and deteriorating penitentiary infrastructure. The Haren facility is designed to accommodate 1,190 detainees. In addition to the prison overcrowding problem, the project targeted to achieve the maximum ratio between health, indoor well-being, and comfort with a minimum environmental impact following an “Energy Neutral Building” concept. The project was built on a 15-hectare site near Brussels and comprised 17 building units of 116,000 m2.
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) certification was assigned as one of the key features in achieving the “Energy Neutral Building” concept. Pure & pollution-free air, along with other parameters, is one of the key certification parameters. Thus, to achieve the certification, Airscan developed and proposed a relevant air sampling campaign plan which was later executed through a series of air quality tests following ISO 16000-3 & ISO 16000-6 standards (sampling and analysis of VOCs and Formaldehyde in air).
Results
The results of the indoor VOCs and Formaldehyde tests were assessed by the Airscan and Denys project team and submitted to the BREEAM certification body together with other project documents. After the submitted portfolio was positively evaluated by the BREEAM stirring committee, the Haren Prison Village was granted a “Very Good” score and listed in the BREEAM project directory.
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