A new ventilated cooledbeam system concept with free cooling has been installed and monitored in a retrofitted office building in the Wartsila NSD Finland complex in Vaasa, Finland. Good indoor air quality and individual room temperature control has been achieved using ventilated cooled beams. Both cooling- and supplyair distribution functions were integrated in the same room unit. No extra costs were incurred for the low-energy system's freecooling loop.

An overview is given of the current position regarding the use of wind tunnel modelling and envelope flow theory for determining natural ventilation through large openings. The overview is, to a large extent, a personal one and is illustrated primarily by recent research carried out in Nottingham, some of which has yet to be published in full.

Climatisation and natural ventilation concepts are today, in most countries, considered to be an essential aspect of the building project. In fact they are utilised to guarantee summer thermal comfort and indoor air quality control. Also there are many other advantages including low energy use, reduction of noise levels and easy plant maintenance. In recent years the use of hybrid ventilation systems in office buildings has been developed. The achievement of thermal comfort conditions in buildings is an important aim in order to satisfy occupants.

The orientation, size, and nature of vents in screened exterior wall systems are important to wall performance because these characteristics affect venting, ventilation and pressure moderation. The ventilation of screened wall systems has received very little attention in Canadian building research. With funding from CMHC 's External Research Program, the B uilding Enginee ring Group at the Uni versity of Waterloo undertook an experimental and theoretical study of vents and venting in screened walls.

Accurately controlling the amount of outdoor air brought into a building is a major factor in ensuring good indoor air quality (IAQ). However, controlling this minimum ventilation volume is difficult  variable-air-volume (VAV) systems.               

The use of energy for operating ventilation systems in underground car parks in Hong Kong is considered. A site survey has been carried out in 22 underground car parks. The physical size, configurations, and electrical rating of ventilation fans were the main mailers of interest. The indoor thermal environments, carbon monoxide concentrations, and operation of ventilation systems were examined. Mathematica/ expressions are developed and the predicted results examined for another 54 underground car parks.

A simple procedure to determine the best locations for the installation of smoke detectors in residential buildings is presented. Consideration is given to both detection of fires and audibility of the alarm.