Ventilation is pivotal both in terms of indoor air quality and environmental issues such as greenhouse gas emissions. It also has a major impact on energy use in buildings. It is important, therefore that the role md impact of ventilation is filly understood. The purpose of this paper is to review these aspects with particular reference to recent research and developments. Key aspects are concerned with the role of ventilation in maintaining good indoor air quality, ensuring the quality of the outdoor air and incorporating strategies to ensure good ventilation performance.

The Advanced House represents the next generation of energy-efficient housing. The total energy requirements of the house have been reduced to an estimated 31 % of the needs of a conventional home. This has been accomplished by incorporating such features, as a prototype, an Integrated Mechanical System (IMS), high-performance windows, energy-efficient lighting and appliances, high levels of insulation, airtight construction, and an energy-efficient fireplace.

Experimental investigations and practical experiences in Europe have proved that hydronic cooled ceilings are able to remove high cooling loads without impairing thermal comfort. As hydronic cooled ceilings cannot remove latent loads and pollutants, e.g., C02, VOCs, odors, additional ventilation has to be applied. Often, displacement ventilation is used, which is able to provide lower pollutant levels in the occupation zone than mixing flow systems, if the occupants are causing most of the pollution.