English

The application of a continuous thermal insulation on the external face of building walls ameliorates the thermal performance of external walls and alleviates problems related to thermal bridges. However a further improvement of this insulation system may be achieved by using ventilated walls, which consist of an open ended cavity placed between an insulating board {directly applied on the external side of outer walls) and an external cladding.

ln the past, passive solar buildings were specifically designed with respect to energy and thermal comfort requirements. Within this framework a fa9ade able to collect solar energy and bring indoor suitable conditions for occupants was thought of as an optimal building device. On the contrary, little attention was paid to their acoustic behaviour.

The examination of the "Young-am House", a traditional folk house located in the middle region of the Korean peninsula, aims to analyze and to inform the bio-climatic design of the building and interior spaces based in the traditional architecture of Korea. As a consequence of the examination, it was evident that bioclimatic design performed an important part in creating a natural environment for comfortable living by taking consideration of the changing local climatic conditions.

Thermal comfort in transitional spaces of buildings is established from a field study conducted in the cool season of Bangkok, Thailand. IL involved 302 indoor subjects occupying either air-conditioned or naturally ventilated environments and 291 outdoor subjects who were leaving the indoors. The data were analysed by using a calculating method, "Griffiths" values, giving neutral temperatures, and a quadratic regression for thermal acceptability.

In equatorial warm humid climates, ventilation has been largely adopted as a major strategy for natural passive cooling. In those climates the use porous elements are common to allow for permanent ventilation as temperature rarely drops below 20°C. Nevertheless, the performance of many building components has not been thoroughly determined, making it difficult to predict buildings performance as ventilation rates, estimated in most simulation codes are often based on apertures typologies from temperate and cold regions.

This Update discusses how various factors affect the fire resistance of floors in multi-family dwellings. The information is based on results from a major industry/government research project carried out by the National Research Council's Institute for Research in Construction (IRC). 

 False fire alarms cost lives and students are often the worst offenders because of their less than silky cooking skills. HAC reveals how an 'allergy' to washing up liquid led to an innovative demand ventilation solution at Nottingham Trent University.          

This article presents the study of a surgical block with serious deficiencies of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) located in the Hospital del Rio Hortega (Valladolid, Spain). Block characteristics were identified and symptoms reports collected from 118 workers. At the end of the initial investigation, it was concluded that there was Sick Building Syndrome. Measurements of ventilation and contaminants were made of indoor air (CO, C02, TVOC, anaesthetic gases, at six different points simultaneously) and outdoor air (hospital incinerator).