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A nationwide survey on indoor air quality will be set up in France in 2003-2004. The aim ofthe survey is to assess household exposure to indoor air pollutants. The target population isthe national housing stock of approximately 24 million permanently occupied housing units.A nationally representative sample of dwellings will be selected based on a three-stagesampling design. At the first stage, the Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) are categorized basedon French territorial divisions. The second stage of the design is the sampling of segmentswithin the PSUs.

Protecting immune suppressed patients from construction generated airborne opportunisticinfectious agents is essential during their hospitalization. During modernization of thehospitals 32-bed bone marrow transplant unit (BMTU), an empty intensive care unit wasretrofitted to BMT ventilation criteria. Filtration, pressurization and room air exchangecriteria were required at 12/h. A condensate particle counter and a digitalpressure gauge were used to assess these criteria.

It is common that the first cost is the main criterion when making choices between differentsystems. However, it is possible to demonstrate that a lower initial investment can turn out tobe more costly from the whole life-cycle viewpoint. With life-cycle cost (LCC) calculations, itis possible to get a better overview of the total cost. LC costs of typical systems (fan-coil,constant airflow rate, variable air volume and ventilated beams) were analysed and comparedin a case-study office building.

Two similar blocks of flats have been built for people with respiratory diseases. The buildingshave a clean and effective ventilation system and low emitting building materials. Theventilation system is a centralized supply and exhaust air system, either based on demand(Building A) or user controlled (Building B). Total volatile organic compound (TVOC) levelsand concentrations of ammonia and formaldehyde were measured in one apartment on each ofthe six floors of both buildings before occupants moved in and after 3 and 7 months and afterone year of occupancy.

The purpose of this study was to quantify the extent of moisture problems in Danish homes. Aquestionnaire-based survey was made and a representative sample of 3800 Danes older than15 years responded. Main results are that 17.6% of the people have had moisture damages intheir dwelling during the last 5 years and among those as much as 36.4% have not yetremedied the damages. A total of 17.7% have moisture or mould spots on their walls, ceilingsor floors.

Floor return (FR) type underfloor ventilation system was installed in the assembly hall of aprimary school in Hong Kong. Experimental investigations on the airflow and temperaturecharacteristics were conducted. Pollutant distributions were also measured with different freshair supply rates. Results reveal that the use of low momentum floor supply panels reduced therisk of draught discomfort and created a more significant temperature stratifications comparedto those with fan boosted type floor air terminals. Ventilation of polluted air was localized upto the occupants breathing level.

In this paper, the results of the elaboration of the experimental data from 1-year longmonitoring of the performances of an innovative HVAC system installed in a multi-roomscinema of the Warner Bros Village near Venice is presented. This system is based on a rooftopexpressly designed for cinemas applications.The behaviour is analysed to verify the machine design choices in terms of reliability,energy efficiency and comfort level achieved. The study confirms the validity of the designwhich characterizes this HVAC system.

The aim of the study was to develop solutions to the problems and deficiencies encountered inventilation systems of day care centres, and which were manifested as poor IAQ or excessiveenergy consumption in the buildings at the maintenance stage of their ventilation systems.During the afternoon rest hour the IAQ was monitored and other measurements of ventilationcapacity were made. The directors and maintenance personnel of the day care centres wereinterviewed and a questionnaire was presented to the staff.

An investigation method based on the HACCP system was applied to eleven representativeoffice buildings with HVAC system located in different latitudes in Italy, to evaluate themicrobiological quality of the air supplied. Bacterial and fungal levels near supply airdiffusers pointed out medium-low contamination and analysis of data showed a highermicrobial load in the buildings located in the South of Italy with respect to those in the North.IAQ of five buildings was examined in more detail. Air samples demonstrated an overallgood microbial removal efficiency of the examined HVAC system.

The ventilation system of a hospital operating theatre is designed to provide a comfortable andhealthy environment for the patient and the surgical team. A healthy environment can beachieved by minimizing the risk of contamination through an appropriate filtration and airdistribution scheme. The design and construction of operating theatres in Hong Kong,including the upgrading of the older ones, are based on the UK Health Building Notes andHealth Technical Memoranda.