This project lasted from February 1998 to January 2001. The main result from "MATerials for Healthy Indoor Spaces and more energy efficient buildings" project is SOPHIE : a database of indoor pollutants sources, a useful tool for the selection of low polluting materials and components. Other interesting results have been obtained :
- SOPHIE protocol testing for building material
- A new model for IAQ and energy efficiency
- 3 new methods and first results concerning study sorption and diffusion properties of VOCs in the materials

The integration of ventilation strategies into building design is the responsability of the architect that will consult design offices for a right quantification of those strategies. A clear distinction must be made between ventilation for hygienic purpose and ventilation for cooling. The natural ventilation strategy will be different according to the different types of buildings (houses, flats, schools or offices)

Ventilation has two functions : a universal role to assure air renovation and bring fresh air into spaces and the role of energy carrier for heating or cooling. In so far as air is always needed, it was used for both functions. But some dysfunctions occured whenever the energy for comfort overwehelms the ventilation for all, all the time.
Though progress in ventilation knowledge has been extraordinary during the last century, there is a growing concern about it. A revision of the concept of comfort must be done along with a better understanding of what it allows in practice.

From AIC to AIVC changes have occured with increased awareness of the role of ventilation. AIVC will have to continuously evaluate changes in society and technology in order to stay attractive and useful for its target groups. This paper comments the scope of the annex 5, the type of activities, the global environment in which annex 5 is working, and the dissemination approach for the diffusion of information on AIVC website.

This paper sums up the evolution of the AIVC technical programme over the past 25 years with its main subjects of interest and its main productions (guides, handbooks, technical notes, database, literature reviews).The communication between research communities and AIVC is also evoked along with its future developments.

After the moisture damage repairs, a health symptom questionnaire study was repeated 1 year, 3 years and 5 years on 245 upper secondary and high school students. The data were analyzed. The results indicate that no new cases of symptomatic students occured : in that sense the repairs succeeded.

A summary of environmental investigations carried out from 1992 to 2002 in Italian schools in operation by the ISPESL is provided in this article. After having identified the potential sources of exposure, bulk and air samplings were performed in the suspected contaminated areas. The samplings were then collected on membrane filters. Their analysis was made by phase contrast optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.

Fungi presence are often liked to the sick building syndrome. In this paper the authors describe two case studies on the role of fungi in the occurrence of SBS.

The author advises a commitment to a philosophy of proactive preventive maintenance for home, apartment, school and commercial buildings. Preventive actions would result in considerable cost savings, and save building occupants from major health problems.

A literature review finds that observational studies have found a correlation between exposure to VOCs and asthma, whereas interventional studies did not manage to show it. This paper studies two hypothesis to explain that discrepancy in findings.