The authors have developed an online model suitable for a zone equipped with a VAV unit , that can predict zone temperature with unknown parameters. Various validation experiments have been performed using a real-building test facility to examine the prediction accuracies for system outputs.

The authors present first some general observations of the efficiency of naturally ventilated buildings and discuss how advanced natural ventilation (ANV) buildings incorporating stacks can be turned into a temporal hybrid form, that combines passive and mechanical ventilation.
Then the design of a new library building, near Chicago, using a new hybrid ventilation concept despite the severe US climate is described in that paper.The performance of that building is illustrated using dynamic thermal modelling and CFD analyses.

A combined solar house with a solar chimney and a solar water collector is studied in that paper. To investigate natural ventilation in the solar house, theoretical analyses were carried out first, then compared with that in the individual chimney ventilation system under the same conditions. Results and conclusions are presented.

For that study, site measurements have been carried out on two different sites in vacant residential building blocks in Hong Kong to collect radon levels contained in the air within the buildings. The aim of those measurements is to find out the relationship between radon concentration and residential building designs. Building designs can influence the indoor environmental quality so the legislation regulating such designs has to be reviewed first.

In that paper, the efficiency of ultraviolet germicidal irridiation (UVGI) to inactivate airborne fungal spores and bacterial vegetative cells has been evaluated under three configurations : intrinsic, upper-room air and in-duct. Experiments were carried out in a pilot-scale chamber with 4 corner UV lamps, in a full-scale room fitted with a UVGI system, and in the supply air duct of a heating ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system. Results are presented.

A visual ventilation guiding device for instant estimation of indoor air quality has been developed for that study. The VVGD converts the signals of a gas sensor and a temperature and humidity sensor into an optical recommendation of how to act for the users (open or close the window). The device has been tested and calibrated in dwellings, flats and schools. Results and conclusions are presented.

This paper presents the EULEB project whose aim is to supply information to architects and engineers throughout Europe and beyond it. A CD containing information on architecture, energy consumption and economical efficiency as well as comfort of innovative buildings selected among educational buildings, office buildings and leisure facilities in nine European countries, will be produced. The lack of information on low energy architecture will be eliminated along with the prejudices many people have against it.

This article is part of the VENT DIS.COURSE project funded by the Intelligent Energy Europe programme whose aim was to improve energy efficiency in buildings by directly transferring existing knowledge. This paper discusses the relationship between design, commissioning and control of building ventilation systems to achieve an optimal balance of comfort and energy performance. Methodologies for short term studies are presented too.

This article is part of the VENT DIS.COURSE project funded by the Intelligent Energy Europe programme whose aim was to improve energy efficiency in buildings by directly transferring existing knowledge. This paper presents a brief summary of application of natural ventilation in urban areas to engineers. It focuses on the understanding of the energy impact of ventilation . It provides a simple guidance on calculating ventilation related energy losses for both heating and cooling conditions.

The new REHVA guidebook is presented in this paper. Written by an international group of experts. The researchers, engineers and practitioners advise how to quantify the effects of indoor environment on office work and how to integrate productivity in life-cycle-cost analysis of building services. The main purpose of their guidebook is to increase the awareness of building owners and practitioners to indoor environmental quality and its importance for office work and to convince them that large profits could be obtained with fairly small investments.