Italy

Air filters installed in ventilation systems face various types of aerosols during their service life, both in residential and in commercial buildings. Their particle size is the most important characteristic and ranges from a few nanometers to a few micrometers. Different physicochemical properties, such as phase state, hygroscopicity, and morphology are also important to determine the impact of particulate matter on the behavior of air filters during their service life.

Many test methods exist for evaluating gaseous-contaminant filtration media, and a few for evaluating functional filters and other devices. These test methods are designed primarily for use in product quality control and to rank products. Designers of filtration devices and HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning) systems engineers, however, need test data that allows calculation of device performance under actual operating conditions. End users need data to determine system maintenance costs. We call such tests design parameter tests.

In recent years, concerns about global warming and greenhouse gas emissions have motivated designers to reduce building energy consumption through the implementation of passive solutions without compromising users’ thermal comfort. This evidence has stimulated a renewed interest in designers for the exploitation of natural ventilation as means of passive cooling solutions. The adoption of ventilative cooling is particularly suitable for large spaces (non-residential buildings) as a measure to reduce the HVAC system high cooling loads.

Shopping centres currently design has included a small portion of automated windows sized for smoke ventilation. Their presence is mandatory for fire regulation and they are usually operated just in case of fire. Nevertheless, these buildings can potentially take advantage of those openable windows to exploit the potential of natural ventilation to guarantee the minimum air change rate required by IAQ standards and for ventilative cooling purpose reducing cooling and electrical consumption.

Nearly all retail locations use mechanical cooling systems to ensure indoor comfort temperatures and mechanical ventilation to ensure adequate air exchange, primarily for hygienic reasons. Because of the big volumes involved and the lack of knowledge in natural ventilation design, shopping centres designers have been relying on basic HVAC equipment, without considering the potential of ventilative cooling to reduce cooling needs and to maintain an acceptable indoor environmental quality.