residential building

In this paper, a full-scale test house constructed in Tohoku University, Japan and some kinds of residential ventilation systems including hybrid ventilation within it is described firstly, and then the ventilation systems' performance is evaluated by field studies and numerical simulations.

Despite a great accumulation of empirical information on the passive performance of houses for either free-running or conditioned modes, very little work has been done on the thermal performance of buildings that can operate with a mixed-running strategy in warm-humid climates. Buildings with such design features would be able to balance the needs for comfort, privacy, energy efficiency during different periods of the year.

To investigate the possibility of indoor air quality (IAQ) control by hybrid energy saving ventilation with an air cleaner using the sorption effect of building materials, this paper describes the identification to estimate the parameters related to the sink effect of materials, the concept of the novel air cleaner, and the performance evaluation of IAQ control for a house installed with the hybrid ventilation system to remove chemical contaminants by computer simulation.

Describes how a physical compartmental model (INTAIR) has been parameterised to estimate PM10 concentrations and has been used to assess the contribution of smoking to PM10 levels for typical homes in the UK. Concludes that smoking activity at home increases the daily mean concentrations in the living room by 1-1.5 microgrammes per m3 per cigarette smoked, and that this may contribute significantly to personal exposures to PM10.

Describes a simple design tool called the 'office building module' (OPTI), which is intended to help building professionals to incorporate the impact of design choices on energy consumption when designing a project. Emphasises the importance of the program's user-friendliness, minimisation of data and speed. Dynamic thermal programs are needed to compute energy needs and estimate overheating. Current programs suffer from slowness and the need for large amounts of data.

States that most Colorado homes deliver R-13 walls, R-30 attics, double vinyl windows (no low-e) a low-end water heater, and extraordinarily leaky ductwork. Describes the work of one builder who has changed to building high-performance homes, and details the features which make the new homes stand out.

Two detached houses situated on a hill, a slab-on-grade and a basement building, were used to assess factors that affect the rate of radon entry. For the former, the rate reached its maximum during a particular weather condition when the internal transport of radon was induced by the wind. The latter's rate was highest when the wind blew towards the hill. Changes in barometric pressure did not influence either. Rain affected the rate for the latter house. For the former house the adjusted rate of radon entry showed it to be higher in the morning.

Maisonettes, duplexes and triplexes in the city of Montreal have enjoyed much success since they were first built some 60 to 100 years ago. They currently account for half of the city's dwelling units. However, they pose some problems in today's context. Current standards and various innovations in new housing construction serve to underscore some of the limitations. Rooms can be small, kitchen can be dysfunctional, there is little storage space. Describes research carried out to look at the potential for revitalizing plex housing.

Describes how a fully furnished two storey test house was used to perform an experimental study of tracer gas dispersion and airborne moisture movement. The test used two multizone models to simulate the experimental data. States that good agreement was obtained in the comparison and with the tracer gas dispersion. Finds that a representation of adsorption by indoor surfaces must be included in order to accurately model the airborne moisture movement.

The symposium aimed to address the merits and drawbacks of various requirements for residential ventilation along with the problems encountered in implementing these requirements. Discusses proposed and existing ventilation standards and codes in the United States and Canada. Presentations included investigations of site-built as well as manufactured homes and highlighted issues relating to implementation, IAQ, energy, moisture and economics. Also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of requiring mechanical ventilation in residences.