What is ASHRAE 170?
ASHRAE 170 is the standard Ventilation of Health Care Facilities, published by ASHRAE with ASHE. It sets minimum requirements by space type for air changes, outdoor air, pressure relationships, filtration, temperature and humidity, to control infection, odors and comfort in hospitals, outpatient and residential care settings.
What it is
Healthcare spaces need different ventilation conditions. Operating rooms need high air change rates and positive pressure. Airborne infection isolation rooms need negative pressure. Many spaces have humidity and temperature ranges.
ASHRAE 170 sets these requirements in tables by space type. It is incorporated into the Facility Guidelines Institute guidelines, which many US states and authorities use as a code basis for healthcare design.
The standard governs design, but holding those conditions in operation is where facilities need evidence.
Who it applies to
Designers, owners and operators of hospitals, outpatient facilities and residential healthcare in jurisdictions that adopt it. Check which edition your authority having jurisdiction uses.
Facility engineers, infection prevention teams and commissioning agents all use it, because a space that was designed correctly can still drift out of range as filters load, dampers stick or schedules change.
How it is measured
Operational evidence comes from continuous sensing in critical spaces.
- Pressure differentials for isolation rooms and operating rooms
- Air change rates or airflow
- Temperature and relative humidity
- Records of excursions and corrective action
How Aqueduct helps
Aqueduct holds and records space-by-space targets, with ventilation adjusted and verified back in range.
- aQ AirSafe sensing for pressure, temperature, humidity and CO2 by space
- Excursions against your space targets flagged and routed into your CMMS
- Ventilation adjusted where control is enabled, with owner approval
- Verified return to range, with aQ Assurance records for surveys