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BEAM P
LUS FOR
N
EW
B
UILDINGS
I
NDOOR
E
NVIRONMENTAL
Q
UALITY
(I
EQ
)
V
ERSION
1.2
Copyright © 2012 BEAM Society Limited. All rights reserved.
Page 139
and source control. The concepts can be applied to workplaces,
classrooms and similar workplaces where people spend long periods of
time. Background ventilation is intended to dilute the unavoidable
contaminant emissions from people and materials. Background
ventilation should be provided for control of radon levels in occupied and
habitable rooms, and reduces possibility of mould growth under
conditions of high humidity. Local exhaust is intended to remove
contaminants from those specific rooms, such as kitchens, in which
concentrated sources are expected.
6.5 T
HERMAL
C
OMFORT
I
EQ
13 T
HERMAL
C
OMFORT IN
A
IR
-
CONDITIONED
P
REMISES
I
EQ
14 T
HERMAL
C
OMFORT IN
N
ATURALLY
V
ENTILATED
P
REMISES
B
ACKGROUND
BEAM Plus does not specify the standards of performance for air-
conditioned buildings, as the performance criteria will vary amongst
building/premises types, and is also a matter of choice for the Client. For
example, there may be a preference for operating an air-conditioned
space at higher temperatures for the purposes of energy conservation.
BEAM Plus seeks to ensure that buildings and systems are tested as far
as practicable and the specified thermal comfort conditions can be
achieved under conditions of normal occupancy and expected heat
gains.
6.6 L
IGHTING
Q
UALITY
I
EQ
15 N
ATURAL
L
IGHTING
I
EQ
16 I
NTERIOR
L
IGHTING IN
N
ORMALLY
O
CCUPIED
A
REAS
I
EQ
17 I
NTERIOR
L
IGHTING IN
A
REAS NOT
N
ORMALLY
O
CCUPIED
B
ACKGROUND
Although it is difficult to achieve in many building developments located
in Hong Kong with a dense urban environment, daylight penetration into
work places and habitable rooms should be encouraged. Lack of daylight
and views to the external environment contribute to discomfort and
dissatisfaction of users. Where daylight is accessible, some form of
control at windows may be required to avoid glare from direct sunlight.
A consequence of poor lighting in work places is discomfort and loss of
working efficiency. Although interior lighting in workplaces is one of the
most challenging design tasks, unfortunately often relatively little
attention is given to design for work spaces where productive and
creative activities take place.
To focus only on luminance level on the horizontal plane is insufficient.
The quality of an interior lighting scheme cannot be specified or
demonstrated through measurement of light sources and outputs alone,
but needs to consider the relationship of the light sources to the nature of
the space being illuminated, and visual tasks of users in the space.
6.7 A
COUSTICS AND
N
OISE
I
EQ
18 R
OOM
A
COUSTICS
I
EQ
19 N
OISE
I
SOLATION
I
EQ
20 B
ACKGROUND
N
OISE
I
EQ
21 I
NDOOR
V
IBRATION
B
ACKGROUND
When indoor noise is above a certain level, it can cause discomfort,
irritation and interference with workplace activities. In addition, poor
acoustics in certain premises will interfere with speech intelligibility.
Background noise inside buildings comes from a number of sources,
including noise break-in from the surrounding environment and noise
produced inside the building, such as from building services equipment
and adjoining premises. Background noise should be limited to levels
which are suitable for the use of the premises in a building development,