ASHRAE Standard 170 addresses ventilation in healthcare facilities. Confirm applicability and the governing edition, then compare each reviewed room’s use, stated criteria and documented HVAC response across the project package.
Confirm the healthcare design basis
Room functions usually come from the FGI document the authority adopts; see the FGI Code healthcare guide. Gather the architectural room list, clinical program, mechanical drawings, ventilation calculations and relevant agency requirements. Record which edition the project cites. ASHRAE and ASHE publish a 2025 edition; its existence does not automatically make it the edition governing an older permit.
Identify the responsible healthcare designer and reviewer. Room naming alone may be insufficient to establish the applicable function when activities or procedures differ from the label.
Follow the room into its system
Select one room and match its number and use across architecture and mechanical documents. Compare the criteria with the stated airflow, pressure relationship and equipment information. Keep units and operating assumptions with every value.
The mechanical checklist covers broader equipment and distribution coordination. This guide concentrates on the healthcare room-function-to-criteria relationship.
A hypothetical room-name conflict
Suppose the clinical program identifies one use while the architectural room schedule and ventilation table identify another. Do not select a requirement from whichever label appears first. Record all three references and ask the responsible team to confirm the room function.
After confirmation, backcheck the room criteria, mechanical schedule, pressure notes and control sequence. A corrected room name can leave the HVAC response based on the former use.
Healthcare ventilation document checks
| Check | Sources | Review question |
|---|---|---|
| Applicability | Project use, agency requirements and adopted references | Which rooms and facility conditions fall within the applicable review scope? |
| Edition | Project code analysis and specified standard | Which edition and accepted amendments or addenda govern? |
| Room identity | Architectural room schedule and mechanical plan | Do both disciplines describe the same room and function? |
| Ventilation basis | Room criteria, design narrative and schedule | Are the stated criteria and units consistent? |
| Pressure relationship | Room criteria, mechanical notes and controls | Is the intended relationship documented consistently? |
| Air system | Plans, air schedules and equipment data | Can the room’s supply, return or exhaust be traced to the stated system? |
| Filtration and operation | Criteria, schedules and control sequence | Do the documented selections and operating assumptions agree? |
| Engineer verification | Source discrepancy and coordinated response | Has the responsible designer checked the requirement and resolved the affected records? |
Source and use with the project set
ASHE’s Standard 170-2025 overview identifies the current published edition and its healthcare ventilation scope. Source checked October 13, 2026.
Use a copy of the applicable standard that your team is licensed to use and the project’s actual criteria. Add these references to a code and document review. Your engineer verifies the design, calculations and applicability of requirements.
The worksheet identifies disagreements and missing evidence. It does not assign universal room airflow values or certify clinical ventilation performance.