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Traditional architecture gives ideas to enrich modern architecture. In traditional architecture, local materials and renewable energy resources have been used. The courtyard was one of the traditional architecture solutions as a climate modifier. The inclusion of an internal courtyard in buildings design is attributed to the optimization of natural ventilation in order to minimize indoor overheating conditions.

LBNL Residential Diagnostics Database (ResDB) contains blower door measurements and other diagnostic test results of homes in United States. Of these, approximately 134,000 single-family detached homes have sufficient information for the analysis of air leakage in relation to a number of housing characteristics. We performed regression analysis to consider the correlation between normalized leakage and a number of explanatory variables: IECC climate zone, floor area, height, year built, foundation type, duct location, and other housing characteristics.

An emerging issue in Denmark is passive smoking in residential buildings where non-smokers are exposed to harmful smoke from their neighbours. There are various ways that smoke infiltrates from one flat to another. The air infiltration rate between two flats in a multi-storey building depends on its construction, tightness and age.

Demand Controlled Ventilation (DCV) is a well established principle to provide a certain indoor environmental quality, defined both in the terms of air quality and thermal comfort. This is accomplished by adjusting the supplied airflow rate according to a certain demand indicator, which conventionally has been the temperature or the CO2-concentration. When compared to schedule driven ventilation, application of DCV can lead to substantial energy savings. However, CO2 is the pollutant related to human occupancy and it does not provide any indication of so called building-related pollution.

The performance of ventilation and airtightness of the building envelope was studied in field measurements in recently constructed Estonian apartment buildings. The buildings were selected with different building envelopes and ventilation systems. The mean air leakage rate at the pressure difference of 50 Pa in the database was 1.7 m3/(h·m2). The mean air change rate at the pressure difference of 50 Pa from the database was 2.3 h-1.

The quality of the air that we breathe inside our homes, offices, schools and other public or private buildings is an important determinant of healthy life and people’s well being. Indoor air pollutants, either infiltrating from the outside or produced by indoor sources, are associated with a wide range of both acute and chronic health outcomes. These include respiratory symptoms, asthma, effects on the nervous system, cardio-vascular diseases and lung cancer

The paper summarizes the activites undertaken by AppliedSensor within the European Clear-up project with respect to new developments in volatile organic compound sensing for demand controlled ventilation. State-of-the-art is to use non-dispersive infrared sensor technology for indoor carbon dioxide detection. Carbon dioxide so far serves as indicator for bad indoor air quality and required ventilation rates.

This paper describes the results of a Dutch national study into performance of mechanical ventilation systems and its effect on the self-reported health and perceived indoor environmental quality of occupants.

Starting already 1950 i.e. for more than 60 years back in time – we have been using a probably quite unique quality assurance system in Sweden covering all aspects of building and installation technologies. Practically all buildings and their installations are performed according to the quality requirements in the AMA specification guidelines (General Material and Workmanship Specifications). The AMA requirements are made valid when they are referred to in the contract between the owner and the contractor.

The Proceedings of the 32nd AIVC Conference " Towards Optimal Airtightness Performance", held in Brussels, Belgium, 12-13 October 2011.