Assessment of microbiological indoor air quality in an Italian office building equipped with an HVAC system

The indoor air quality (IAQ) in office buildings should be assessed for public health concerns as it relates to work performance and productivity. Therefore, this paper aims to assess the IAQ in a university office building. From this investigation, the level of contaminated indoor air is examined, the significant causes and contributing factors of contaminated indoor air are determined and a recommendation to improve the existing condition has been proposed. The physical parameters measured include air temperature, air velocity, relative humidity, and concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and also air particles. It was found that the number of air particles of 0.5 μm in diameter is about 197,748 particles/m3, while air particles of 5.0 μm in diameter is around 534 particles/m3. The collected data were then compared with a questionnaire and IAQ standards. In conclusion, the indoor air quality within the multi-storey central office building of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) is acceptable and suitable for occupation even though there were countable symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) among its occupants.

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Evaluation of indoor air quality and its symptoms in office building – A case study of Mashhad, Iran

Data in Brief ◽

10.1016/j.dib.2018.07.051 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 20 ◽

pp. 74-79 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Zahra Atarodi ◽

Kamaladdin Karimyan ◽

Vinod Kumar Gupta ◽

Morteza Abbasi ◽

Masoud Moradi

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Office Building

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Mitigation Strategies for Overheating and High Carbon Dioxide Concentration within Institutional Buildings: A Case Study in Toronto, Canada

Buildings ◽

10.3390/buildings10070124 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 124 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Claire Tam ◽

Yuqing Zhao ◽

Zaiyi Liao ◽

Lian Zhao

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air Quality ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Indoor Environment ◽

Thermal Conditions ◽

Co2 Concentration ◽

Hvac System

Indoor air quality and thermal conditions are important considerations when designing indoor spaces to ensure occupant health, satisfaction, and productivity. Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and indoor air temperature are two measurable parameters to assess air quality and thermal conditions within a space. Occupants are progressively affected by the indoor environment as the time spent indoors prolongs. Specifically, there is an interest in carrying out investigations on the indoor environment through surveying existing Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) system operations in classrooms. Indoor air temperature and CO2 concentration in multiple lecture halls in Toronto, Canada were monitored; observations consistently show high indoor air temperature (overheating) and high CO2 concentration. One classroom is chosen as a representative case study for this paper. The results verify a strong correlation between the number of occupants and the increase in air temperature and CO2 concentration. Building Energy Simulation (BES) is used to investigate the causes of discomfort in the classroom, and to identify methods for regulating the temperature and CO2 concentration. This paper proposes retro-commissioning strategies that could be implemented in institutional buildings; specifically, the increase of outdoor airflow rate and the addition of occupancy-based pre-active HVAC system control. The proposed retrofit cases reduce the measured overheating in the classrooms by 2-3 °C (indoor temperature should be below 23 °C) and maintain CO2 concentration under 900 ppm (the CO2 threshold is 1000 ppm), showing promising improvements to a classroom’s thermal condition and indoor air quality.

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