In a recent survey of quantity surveyors, most believed that energy-efficient buildings are more expensive to build than conventional ones. But it isn't necessarily so by any means.
The CIBSE is to publish new guidance on environmental criteria later this year. This includes new material on Indoor Air Quality which provides a strategy for minimising indoor air quality problems in buildings and improving the effectiveness of outdoor air supply in controlling indoor pollution. This Chapter explains the reasons for this approach and the basis for the guidance given.
Personal exposure to total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), benzene and toluene of 100 Milan office workers was assessed through personal air monitoring at home, in the office, and during commuting. Biological monitoring was performed by measuring blood benzene and toluene concentrations together with urinary trans-trans-muconic acid ( t,t-MA) and cotinine at the end of the monitoring period. The geometric means of the total 24-h personal exposure were 514 μg/m3 for TVOCs, 21.2 μg/m3 for benzene and 35.2 μg/m3 for toluene.
A cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate the occurrence of the sick building syndrome (SBS) among office workers in Mauritius. A walk-through inspection and a questionnaire survey were carried out in 21 office building complexes to evaluate the prevalence of risk indicators for SBS symptoms among 302 office workers. Indoor climatic variables monitored were: carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, air temperature, relative humidity, air movement, noise and light. All data collected were analysed using the EPl-info software.
Nosocomial infectior1s are a major problem in many hospital buildings, with ,approximately 10% of patients acquiring such an infection during a hospital stay. Airborne transmission is one of the important routes for a number of nosocomial pathogens. To combat this proq,lem there are a number of engineering control strategies, such as the use of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation and advanced ventilation techniques, which can be used. This paper outlines the 'state of the art' in air disinfection, and reviews recent research work in this field.
Control of indoor pollution sources and ventilation are both means of improving indoor air quality. Three independent experiments have recently documented that removing a pollution source or increasing the ventilation rate will improve perceived air quality, reduce the intensity of several Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) symptoms and improve the productivity of office workers.
The impact of unintentional air flows on the performance of ventilation units with heat recovery is discussed on the basis of single room ventilation units. Assuming an external short circuit (outdoor) and internal (inside the ventilation unit) air leakages, which lead to internal short circuits, a model is developed and characteristic numbers for ventilation efficiency, efficiency of heating load reduction and effectiveness of electrical energy use are derived.
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