This study investigated the sources and concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including formaldehyde in the air of a new office and conference centre building. The building is naturally ventilated, and was designed to demonstrate a number of innovative approaches to environmental design. Occupant surveys have shown a high level of occupant satisfaction with the indoor environment.
The outdoor-air load in a large building uses 30-40% of the total cooling or heating energy. The report describes various ways of reducing the outdoor air-load in relation to the occupancy rate (persons/sq.m). Analysis (by computer simulation) was made of possible energy savings in a Tokyo department store through control of outdoor-air ventilation.