office

Presents the results to date of the use of the multiple tracer gas technique to determine interzonal airflow and ventilation rates in large, multicelled buildings like offices. This work is part of a wider project designed toextend knowledge of natural ventilation in all types of buildings other than dwellings.

The determination of an acceptable range of humidity is complicated by the conflicting effects of an increase or decrease in humidity levels on the speed of chemical interactions and growth of biological organisms and pathogens that may affect human health and comfort.

Dynamic insulation is a means of reducing building heat losses to near zero without the use of massive thermal insulation. It relies on recycling the heat conducted through the fabric or reducing the temperature gradient by means of a suitable heat transport fluid - usually air and sometimes water. Describes research and experience in Sweden and France. In Sweden, some 80,000 m2 of roofs (mostly of single storey sheeted structures) use the contraflow system of dynamic insulation and there have been a few experimental installations in the housing sector.

An indoor air quality investigation of a 60,000 m2 8 storey government office building was carried out as a part of an in-depth study of the Total Building Performance of the building. The transdisciplinary study included the following areas of building performance: lighting, acoustics, thermal comfort, ventilation, energy use, air circulation, air quality, occupant comfort, building envelope thermography, functional use and enclosure integrity. The air quality conclusions generic to large offices are presented.

Examines evidence for relating sickness to the office environment. Notes research into the office building syndrome (obs) in various countries. Notes that although air conditioning goes back to the 1920s, obs has been in the news only during the last five years or so. Notes the contribution to this of energy saving regulations. Notes the complex nature of indoor air contamination. Points to obvious factors such as air conditioning systems unserviced for 30 years, occupational psychology, indoor architecture, climatic constance and air ionisation.

Indoor radon concentrations have been measured in a 13 year old two story concrete building of the University of Texas at Dallas. Variations of the radon concentration from the basement to the second floor in offices, classrooms, laboratories, storage rooms, corridors and other locations have been measured. Dependence of the above concentrations on the location and ventilation rates have been studied.

In countries such as the United Kingdom that possess a temperate climate, the majority of buildings are not air-conditioned but depend upon natural ventilation and relatively simple heating systems. Openable windows are used to reduce the in

Reduction of fresh air ventilation is becoming the major means of energy conservation in office buildings. Simultaneously, health and comfort problems experienced by occupants are often suspected to be a direct result of reduced fresh air ventilation. However, there is little data available on health and comfort problems experienced by occupants of buildings operated under normal ventilation rates.

An investigation of the minimum fresh air supply per person required to prevent the occurrence of unacceptably offensive odour due to stale air in offices and similar buildings. The study was made under everyday conditions as far as possible, in different buildings, various size rooms, different densities of occupancy, with men or men and women, and with mechanical or natural ventilation.

In discussion of air infiltration, we must consider air leakage flow, air change, air changes per hour at 50Pa, the surface permeability coefficient, the component permeability coefficient and equivalent leakage area. Air change and air leakage data are given for multiple family houses, single family houses, offices, industrial buildings and single cell elements.