building material

In a previous study, a whole room IAQ model consisting of multi-phase emission/sorption model for wall materials and room volume mass balance model catering for practical ventilation schemes was developed. The interactions between volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and building materials composing different building components can thus be modeled based on fundamental mass transfer theories. In the present study, the effects of various ventilation strategies and outdoor source on the indoor gas phase VOC concentration are investigated by simulating different building scenarios.

In this paper, a long-term numerical study which examines the unique airflow pattern and the corresponding VOC distribution within a typical apartment building in the severe cold region of China is described. A VOC model was developed to simulate the time-dependent emission rates with adsorption and desorption. This model was then integrated with COMIS, a multi-zone airflow model. The target VOC for study was benzene. The results show various downward tendencies for benzene concentrations in all the dwellings.

In 1995 and 1996 radon concentrations and effective air flows were measured in about 1500 Dutchdwellings built between 1985 and 1993. The goal of this investigation was to describe the trend inthe average radon concentration by supplementing the first survey on dwellings built up to 1984and to quantify the contributions of the most important sources of radon. In the living room of newdwellings the average radon concentration was 28 Bq m-3, which is 50% higher than in dwellingsbuilt before 1970.

Heat and mass transfers in building materials influence the thermal properties and performances ofthe materials more especially as they are porous. This paper deals with the case of various porousbuilding materials (Aerated Autoclaved Concrete, Hemp Concrete and Vertically Perforated Brick)studied by an experimental approach. A cell of exchange makes it possible to impose on a sample,gradients of temperature and relative humidity variables as function of time. The performances ofthese materials are thus deduced from the evolution of T and %RH in several positions.

This paper give descriptions of the tasks conducted in the two phases of the material emissions project that lasted from 1996 to 2000. The main aim of that client-supported project was the creation and maintenance of a material emission database and single-zone indoor air quality simulation program called MEDB-IAQ.

This project lasted from February 1998 to January 2001. The main result from "MATerials for Healthy Indoor Spaces and more energy efficient buildings" project is SOPHIE : a database of indoor pollutants sources, a useful tool for the selection of low polluting materials and components. Other interesting results have been obtained :
- SOPHIE protocol testing for building material
- A new model for IAQ and energy efficiency
- 3 new methods and first results concerning study sorption and diffusion properties of VOCs in the materials

The effects of environmental factors can be important in simulating indoor levels of VOCs emitted from building materials. In this study the effort has been made to quantify the relationship between air movements and emissions of decane applied on an oak substrate.
The aim of this research is to determine the correlation between environmental factors and coefficients of mass-transfer based emission models in a mathematical form.

This paper gives the description of the outline of a methodology whose aim is to decrease or even eliminate the emissions resulting from building materials.

In the course of laboratory investigation we examined the adaptability of naive panels onindoor air quality measurements. We made the investigation on a measuring team of 45participants. We examined the measurement precision and standard deviation of themeasuring team with the help of Olf-Box. Our results show that despite the economicefficiency the number of persons in a measuring team cannot be reduced to less than 30subjects. We built a measuring system to examine the emission of indoor used materials.

Two similar blocks of flats have been built for people with respiratory diseases. The buildingshave a clean and effective ventilation system and low emitting building materials. Theventilation system is a centralized supply and exhaust air system, either based on demand(Building A) or user controlled (Building B). Total volatile organic compound (TVOC) levelsand concentrations of ammonia and formaldehyde were measured in one apartment on each ofthe six floors of both buildings before occupants moved in and after 3 and 7 months and afterone year of occupancy.