Airbase publication

Shopping centres are complex buildings with specific needs. The use that different areas are put to affects energy consumption, whereas the different functional patterns and stakeholder groups influence energy use. They are also associated with specific requirements that make it relevant to consider different types of performance indicators.

In France, the current regulation on the energy performance of buildings (RT 2012) does not require ductwork airtightness measurement when the default-value is used in the regulatory EP-calculation. Thus, measurements are only mandated when a specific airtightness level is used in EP-calculations or required by a voluntary certification scheme. In such case, measurements have to be performed according to a national scheme regarding ductwork airtightness measurement.

With the goal of increasing building flexibility and reducing energy use, yet ensuring IAQ, the feasibility of natural ventilation in a building in Oslo is studied. However, the use of direct outdoor air poses some challenges in the Norwegian cold climate, particularly the risk of thermal discomfort due to draught and low local temperatures. The goal of this paper is to study the most suitable solution to avoid draught in cold climates while maintaining the required airflow rates.

Today one out of six Europeans (84 million Europeans, or the equivalent of Germany’s population), report deficiencies regarding the building status. In some countries, that number is as high as one out of three. This puts these buildings in the ‘Unhealthy Buildings’ category, which is defined as buildings that have damp (leaking roof or damp floor, walls or foundation), a lack of daylight, inadequate heating during the winter or overheating problems.

Based on a series of workshops, a Circadian House is defined as a house that is designed to support a healthy life for its occupants through a human-centric design. The workshops were held in 2012-2013 and defined 3 key principles and ten key factors to consider in the design of homes.

INTRODUCTION: The Finnish Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (FiSIAQ) introduced over twenty years ago in 1995 a Classification of Indoor Climate, Construction Cleanliness, and Finishing Materials and the third edition will be published autumn in the year 2017. Based on the criteria set in the classifications, The Building Information Foundation RTS sr started the M1-labelling of air handling components in 1999. Name of the classification is Cleanliness Classification of Air Handling Components.

New buildings have to satisfy stricter standards regarding energy efficiency and consumption. This results in higher insulation levels and lower air leakages that reduce heating demands. However, together with the heating demands reductions, higher temperatures in summer and particularly shoulder season are more frequent even at moderate to cold climates. In order to ensure acceptable indoor environment quality, removal of excess heat becomes unavoidable. Using mechanical cooling in residential buildings is considered incompatible with achieving zero energy buildings (ZEB).

RenovActive is a renovation project which took place in Brussels based on the concept of Climate Renovation that implies achieving an excellent indoor climate as well as a high energy performance. The house belongs to a social housing association and is renovated within the financial frame for social housing in Brussels, and renovated using standard solutions and products to facilitate future replications of the result. Seven generic replicable elements were applied; these elements can be used in other renovation projects and are described in the paper.

Nearly all retail locations use mechanical cooling systems to ensure indoor comfort temperatures and mechanical ventilation to ensure adequate air exchange, primarily for hygienic reasons. Because of the big volumes involved and the lack of knowledge in natural ventilation design, shopping centres designers have been relying on basic HVAC equipment, without considering the potential of ventilative cooling to reduce cooling needs and to maintain an acceptable indoor environmental quality.

The modelling framework IAPPEM was redeveloped to predict indoor radon concentrations in dwellings that have undergone an energy retrofit, and have experienced a consequent air tightness change. The framework is flexible, and allows for simulations to be carried out under various pre-retrofit radon concentration levels, multi-zone building geometries, ventilation configurations and retrofit types. However, detailed real-time radon concentration and ventilation data is necessary for model validation, and such data is non-existent in the Irish context.