Airbase publication

Building air infiltration rate is required as an important input in the calculation of building heat loss. Tests to directly measure infiltration rates are complex and time-consuming to perform, and are therefore usually substituted with an airtightness test as a more efficient alternative. An empirical ratio, or sometimes an infiltration model, is then used to predict the building infiltration rate from the measured airtightness value. For instance, in the United Kingdom the building air permeability measured by a steady pressurisation test and reported at 50 Pa

Air leakage in building envelopes is responsible for a large portion of the building’s heating and cooling requirements. Therefore, fast and reliable detection of leaks is crucial for improving energy efficiency.

As part of the mandated standards for estimating the energy performance of buildings CEN 16798-1 and -2 was developed to provide input for the indoor environment (thermal comfort, air quality/ventilation, lighting, acoustic) to energy calculations and design of buildings with its heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting systems. A revision of this standard has now been started.

Ventilation and air cleaning of interior spaces are promising methods for the reduction of airborne pathogen spread and may reduce the number of (airborne) infections. With this in mind, and in response to the 2020-2022 COVID-19 pandemic, the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), in collaboration with TNO have initiated this research program focusing on ventilation (P3VENTI) as part of the larger Pandemic Preparedness Program of VWS (300 million Euros, annually).

ASHRAE’s 2022 publication of a new position document on indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) has been a significant contribution to ongoing discussions of how indoor CO2 can be used to understand ventilation and indoor air quality (IAQ). The position document clarifies what is known about the relationship between CO2 concentrations and ventilation rates, the effects of CO2 on building occupants, and how CO2 concentrations relate to airborne infectious disease transmission. While the position document is a key step to addressing ongoing debate and

The Airborne Infection Reduction through Building Operation and Design for SARS-CoV-2 (AIRBODS ) project aim is to deliver guidance on the ventilation operation and future design of non-domestic buildings and to quantify the risk of, and reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in buildings. It is doing this through experimentation, computer simulation and fieldwork supporting the guidance and tools.

There is large amount of research on COVID-19 infections including the spread and removal mechanisms of the virus in indoor spaces. Ventilation, air cleaning and air disinfection are the main engineering measures to control the virus spread in buildings. Wells Riley model allows to calculate the infection risk probability for any airborne virus aerosol-based transmission, but this calculation is overcomplicated in the ventilation design because of large amount of input data needed that is not easy to understand to ventilation designers.

Air cleaning has been considered an alternative method of improving indoor air quality and, in some cases, as a supplement to ventilation. The need for energy reduction to reduce the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere and subsequently combat the consequences of climate change has brought air cleaning into focus in recent years.

By 2050, the entire built environment must be climate neutral. Before that final date, we have to find an alternative to the use of fossil energy in the built environment. The switch to a climate neutral built environment requires an integrated approach, focusing on switching to alternative, non-fossil fuels and on reducing the energy demand by taking energy efficiency measures.

Throughout the world more and more high-rises or very tall buildings are being checked for air leaks. In February 2021 air permeability measurements were carried out in a 125-meter-high building with 37 storeys. This is the first time that a building of this height was measured in Europe. This report provides information about...