scholarly journals Revised Finnish classification of indoor climate 2018

2019 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 02017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mervi Ahola ◽  
Jorma Säteri ◽  
Laura Sariola

The Finnish Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (FiSIAQ) introduced a Classification of Indoor Climate, Construction Cleanliness, and Finishing Materials in 1995. The Classification of Indoor Climate has been revised to meet the new Decree on indoor air quality and ventilation, European standards and experience from users of the classification. The most significant change is that target values for concentration and the in/out ratio of fine particles have been added. Other adjustments have been made to ensure good indoor environment and energy efficiency, but with reasonable investments. The criteria for emissions from building material and furniture were also updated. The Building Information Foundation RTS sr has run the M1-labelling of building products since 1996. The voluntary approach has been proven to improve the IAQ in new buildings and to reduce emissions from building materials. The Classification of Indoor Environment 2018 is integrated part of the new RTS Environmental Classification system.

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (10) ◽  
pp. 1322-1340
Author(s):  
Érica Coelho Pagel ◽  
Neyval Costa Reis ◽  
Cristina Engel de Alvarez ◽  
Jane Méri Santos ◽  
Sandra Paule Beghi ◽  
...  

Antarctic buildings are enclosed structures, which provide shelter and logistic support to researchers and personnel who remain indoors for long periods and can be affected by air pollution caused by construction materials and activities inside buildings. This study aims to investigate the indoor air quality at the Brazilian Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station based on measurements of aldehydes, particulate matter and fungi conducted during the Antarctic summer in 2012. The sampling site was divided in conditioned (personnel living quarters) and unconditioned (service and utilities areas) compartments and outdoor sites. A field log book was used to record the activities in the station. Furniture and plywood coverings may have contributed to high average concentrations of formaldehyde. Cooking resulted in high average levels of acrolein and fine particles in most of the monitored environments. Other activities such as cleaning, use of personal and cosmetic products, waste incineration, building maintenance and movement of people and vehicles have also contributed to particles concentration increase. Dominance of the species Aspergillus versicolor and Penicillium sp. showed potential means of fungal proliferation. Considering that the functionality and operation are similar in many Antarctic buildings, some general recommendations were outlined.


Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 250
Author(s):  
Chuloh Jung ◽  
Jihad Awad

Due to unprecedented urbanization, UAE had built many new residential projects with poor choices of material and ventilation. This social phenomenon is leading UAE to Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) faster than any other countries. The Dubai Municipality regulates the indoor air quality with strict stipulation, but the detailed regulations are still insufficient. The objective of this paper is to measure the indoor air quality of new residential projects in Dubai to suggest the improvement of the regulations for indoor air quality. As a methodology, a field survey was conducted to investigate the status of indoor air pollution in residential buildings. Based on the field survey data, lab experiments for building materials were conducted and a computer simulation on radon gas was conducted. The result had shown that radon gas was mainly detected in new townhouses and labor camp houses, and its concentration was found to exceed the standard. Volatile organic solvents (VOCs) and formaldehyde (CH2O) were mainly detected in showhouses and new townhouses, and the concentration distribution was about 10 times higher than that of outdoors. It was proven that emission concentration of radon gas from various building materials were detected, and the order was red clay, gypsum board, and concrete. Volatile organic solvents (VOCs) are mainly detected in oil paints and PVC floor and the radiation amount of all pollutants increased with temperature increase. In computer simulation, it was found that a new townhouse needs a grace period from 20 days to 6 months to lower the radon gas concentration by 2 pCi/L. This study will serve as a basic data to establish more detailed regulation for the building materials and improve the IAQ standards in Dubai.


Author(s):  
Seyed Ali Keshavarz ◽  
Mazyar Salmanzadeh ◽  
Goodarz Ahmadi

Recently, attention has been given to indoor air quality due to its serious health concerns. Clearly the dispersion of pollutant is directly affected by the airflow patterns. The airflow in indoor environment is the results of a combination of several factors. In the present study, the effects of thermal plume and respiration on the indoor air quality in a ventilated cubicle were investigated using an unsteady computational modeling approach. The person-to-person contaminant transports in a ventilated room with mixing and displacement ventilation systems were studied. The effects of rotational motion of the heated manikins were also analyzed. Simulation results showed that in the cases which rotational motion was included, the human thermal plume and associated particle transport were significantly distorted. The distortion was more noticeable for the displacement ventilation system. Also it was found that the displacement ventilation system lowered the risk of person-to-person transmission in an office space in comparison with the mixing ventilation system. On the other hand the mixing system was shown to be more effective compared to the displacement ventilation in removing the particles and pollutant that entered the room through the inlet air diffuser.


Author(s):  
Iveta Bullová ◽  
Peter Kapalo ◽  
Dušan Katunský

Air change rate is an important parameter for quantification of ventilation heat losses and also affects the indoor climate of buildings. Indoor air quality is significantly associated with ventilation. If air change isn't sufficient, trapped allergens, pollutants and irritants can degrade the indoor air quality and affect the well-being of a building's occupants. Many studies on ventilation and health have concluded that lower air change rates can have a negative effect on people’s health and low ventilation may result in an increase in allergic diseases. Quantification of air change rate is complicated, since it is affected by a number of parameters, of which the one of the most variable is the air-wind flow. This study aims to determination and comparison of values of the air change rate in two methods - by quantifying of aerodynamic coefficient Cp = Cpe - Cpi – so called aerodynamic quantification of the building and the methodology based on experimental measurements of carbon dioxide in the selected reference room in apartment building.


Buildings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Tam ◽  
Yuqing Zhao ◽  
Zaiyi Liao ◽  
Lian Zhao

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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