scope:

This Guide applies to small to medium office buildings up to 100,000 ft² in gross floor area. Office buildings include a wide range of office-related activities and office types, such as administrative or professional offices, government offices, bank or other financial offices, medical offices without medical diagnostic equipment, and other types of offices. These facilities typically include all or some of the following types of space usage: open plan and private office, conference meeting, corridor and transition, lounge and recreation, lobby, active storage, restroom, mechanical and electrical, stairway, and other spaces. This Guide does not consider specialty spaces such as data centers, which are more typically presented in large offices.

The primary focus of this Guide is new construction, but recommendations may be equally applicable to offices undergoing complete renovation and in part to many other office renovation, addition, remodeling, and modernization projects (including changes to one or more systems in existing buildings).

Included in the Guide are recommendations for the design of the building opaque envelope; fenestration; lighting systems (including electrical interior and exterior lights and daylighting); heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems; building automation and controls; outdoor air requirements; service water heating; and plug and process loads. Additional savings recommendations are also included but are not necessary for 50% savings. These additional savings recommendations are discussed in the "Additional Bonus Savings" section of Chapter 5 and provide design tips for additional daylighting (toplighting), natural ventilation, and renewable energy systems.

The recommendation tables in Chapter 4 do not include all the components listed in ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004. Though this Guide focuses only on the primary energy systems within a building, the underlying energy analysis assumes that all the other components and system comply with the minimum design criteria in Standard 90.1 and ANSI/ ASHRAE Standard 62.1, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality (ASHRAE 2004a, 2004b). Also, Chapter 3 of this Guide provides general guidance and resources in terms of conditions to promote health and comfort.

In addition, AEDG-SMO is not intended to substitute for rating systems or references that address the full range of sustainability issues in office design, such as acoustics, productivity, indoor air quality, water efficiency, landscaping, and transportation, except as they relate to energy use. Nor is it a design text. The Guide assumes good design skills and expertise in office building design.