English

The RAGENA model of radon takes into account all the parameters and processes affecting radon levels (in the source, its transport, its entry into a dwelling and its accumulation indoors).The model has been tested in a mediterranean house. The results given by the model are similar to the ones obtained experimentally.

The aim of this study was to test the following hypthesis : in schools, bacterial markers may be increased in indoor air because of the presence of children.Dust samples were collected from the school rooms when occupied but also when unoccupied during the week-end. Results have been analysed and the conclusion is that in unoccupied rooms the airborne dust is of environmental origin, whereas the increase level of dust in occupied rooms is due to the children presence.

Five methods of sampling lead dust where tested for that study in 33 New Jersey homes of children with blood problems.Samples were collected on the carpets of the different homes. Among the five sampling methods used then compared (wipe, adhesive label, C18 sheet, vacuum, hand rinse) the first one appeared the most appropriate for measuring lead from carpets for exposure assessment, and vacuum the most recommended for collecting information on total lead accumulation.

This paper is the second part of a study on indoor emission sources models : this part is the compilation and review of 48 methods for parameter estimation.For an useful valid model, estimation of the different parameters of a model must be easy. But the development of methods for parameters estimation is often left for only the development of model, and these models are then not used after their publication.

Scientific tools are used to get insights into the processes that affect the exposure assessment : these are the exposure models. This paper aims at reviewing the process and methodology of estimating inhalation exposure to particulate matter (PM) using various types of models.Indirect type, direct type and stochastical models are discussed in this paper.

Whole building simulation may play a key role in the optimization and assessment of the market potential of new building components. In the SOLVENT Project, ESP-r was used for such purposes, in the case applied to a new reversible ventilated window. The innovative character of the window required the development of a specific simulation approach within ESP-r, in order to account for buoyancy in the air channel. A multi-zone approach with an air flow network was developed, and several variations studied.

To provide additional validation data for the multizone airflow and contaminant model, CONTAMW, experiments were performed in an occupied 3-story townhouse in Reston, VA. A tracer gas, sulfur hexaflouride (SF6), was manually injected within one room of the house and the concentration of SF6 was measured in each zone. This same process was then recreated in CONTAMW and the resulting predictions were statistically compared to the measured values. A total of 10 experiments were conducted and simulated between May 2000 and June 2001.

The set points of supervisory control strategy are optimized with respect to energy use and thermal comfort for existing HVAC systems. The set point values of zone temperatures, supply duct static pressure, and supply air temperature are the problem variables, while energy use and thermal comfort are the objective functions. The HVAC system model includes all the individual component models developed and validated against the monitored data of an existing VAV system.

In the standard design process of a building, total building simulation using building simulation software is encouraged to be incorporated into the design process as early as possible. However, this paper demonstrates that building simulation can be used as late in the process as the early construction phase of a building project, though usually with increasing cost of building modifications.

In tropical humid climate, thermal environment can be controlled using natural ventilation. But this technic raises the problem of acoustic comfort. Some technical devices coping with aeraulic and acoustic comfort constraints exist but they are not suitable in all economic context. Thus the urban research is exploring built configurations performances for future urban planning. This article presents an exploratory simulation method of these physical parameters, and analyses results of two guadeloupean urban fabric tests.