The sessions in this conference covered: moisture control performance measurements; from the basement to the roof; moisture model inputs; wall design and building science; moisture model validation; wall performance; applied heat and moisture modelling; wall durability; whole buildings; fenestration practices; reducing foundation heat loss; roof design; green buildings; energy in buildings; building durability; fenestration principles; building performance; attics and roofs; indoor environment; low-slope roofs; mechanical systems; and workshops on a variety of topics.

Describes the post-construction HVAC system commissioning process done at a new historical museum and archival storage facility. Improper functioning of HVAC was discovered. The building was commissioned after occupation. The paper describes the process of rectifying the problems, and emphasises the importance of employing a commissioning agent throughout the design and construction process.

States that poor ventilation is a factor in raising humidity levels in well insulation cold climate housing. Aimed to look at the ventilation rates in houses with varying ventilation systems, noting indoor air humidity, domestic mite allergen levels and VOCs. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure levels in 59 similar one-storey single family houses. 22 houses had an added mechanical supply and exhaust ventilation system.

An investigation was carried out in a multi-family building in New Jersey, USA of eight apartments, including resident interviews about air conditioner usage. Energy consumption for cooling varied widely across similar apartments, due to occupants' diverse beliefs about machine operation and economic considerations. 75% of residents did not use the thermostats, preferring to switch the system on and off according to comfort needs. Concludes that the problem is not lack of user education, but rather poor user-friendliness of air conditioner controls.

Mycological investigations were performed on a modern multistorey office building in the southeastern coastal US. Extensive colonization was found in the air handling units and fibreglass duct liner of the HVAC system. Concentrations in air samples were low however. Removal of colonized insulation material reduced indoor air quality complaints.

Describes a project to examine the secondary air filters in the air handling units on four floors of a multi-storey office building which had a history of fungal colonization of insulation in the air distribution system. Fungi were observed throughout the system. Lower concentrations of volatile organics were emitted from fungal affected air filter medium. Concludes that the growth of fungi in air distribution systems may affect the content of volatile organics in indoor air.

Measured ozone decay rates were found to be significantly correlated with house type and the number of bedrooms for a monitoring project of 43 California homes. The observed decay rates were higher in multiple-family homes and homes with fewer than three bedrooms. Homes with higher surface-area-to-volume ratios had higher decay rates.

In order to determine whether high outdoor ozone concentrations are transferred to the indoor climate of museums, a monitoring project was carried out on eleven museums, art galleries, historical houses and a museum library for 38 days over the summers of 1984 and 1985. The differences in indoor ozone levels between the buildings could be explained by differences in building and ventilation system design, and this was verified by a mathematical model. Peak indoor ozone levels were highest in building with no air conditioning but a high rate of air exchange with the outdoors.

The study investigates the effect of mechanical ventilation and high-efficiency vacuuming on house dust mite numbers and allergen concentrations in dwellings of mite-sensitive asthmatics. Of forty houses, some received mechanical ventilation, some an HEVC, and some both, while a number acted as controls. The monitoring exercise lasted for twelve months. It was found that humidity was reduced in homes with mechanical ventilation and mite numbers reduced accordingly. Use of the vacuum cleaners enhanced the effect.

A move to mechanically ventilated low-dust mite affected, 'healthy' homes was investigated in relation to asthma control. Fourteen patients, allergic to dust mite allergens, were studied. Clinical improvements were significant in the patients, in contrast to the control patients. The study found a significant relation between reduction in medicine score and the fall in house dust mite exposure.