AIVC publication

Addressing successful solutions to counterbalance the energy and environmental effects of air conditioning is a strong requirement for the future. Possible solutions involve the use of passive cooling techniques and in particular of heat and solar protection techniques, heat amortisation and heat dissipation techniques. Recent research has shown that night ventilation techniques may contribute highly to improve thermal comfort in free floating and decrease the cooling energy consumption of air conditioned buildings.

Natural ventilation is one of the most effective passive cooling techniques. Because of the serious reduction of the wind speed in the urban environment and the corresponding reduction of the air flow rate, for both single and cross configurations, the cooling load on the buildings inside the canyons is much higher than the one of buildings where wind is not obstructed. Thus, it is very important to consider, other techniques than windows to enhance air flow in urban buildings.

Pollutants found in indoor air are often several times higher than outdoors. Indoor air pollutants cause effects ranging from odor, annoyance, and irritation to illness, cancer, and even death. Since people spend the majority of their time indoors, it is important to recognize and control indoor air pollution. Some indoor air pollutants also adversely affect materials in the building and the building structure itself. The majority of indoor pollution comes from the building itself, its contents, or its occupants and their activities.

The necessity to make waterproof sanitary water ducts or central heating tubing and to make airtight natural gas distribution tubing is of primary importance to both construction professionals and the public. However, the airtightness of ventilation ducts and heating or cooling ducts is subject to less attention.
An assessment campaign, aimed to measure the latter, was conducted within the framework of a European project , and demonstrated that the leakage in air ducts in France and Belgium reached figures up to 20% of the average nominal flow rate.

The Ventilation Modelling Data Guide of the AIVC replaces the old Technical Note 44 (1994) which was mainly focused on leakage and wind pressure data presented in tables. The new approach is an interactive database available on CD-Rom. The guide itself has the same layout than the other AIVC publications but is provided with hyperlinks to about 300 different documents stored on the CD (245 MB of information).

The items presented in the ventilation Modelling Data Guide are:

A large number of modern European buildings are equipped with ducted air distribution systems. Because they represent a key parameter for achieving a good indoor climate, increased attention has been given to their performance during the past fifty years. One aspect that is particularly developed in this handbook concerns the airtightness of the ductwork, which has been identified as a major source of inadequate functioning and energy wastage of HVAC systems.

The purpose of the AIVC's new guide to ventilation is to review ventilation in the context of achieving energy efficiency and good indoor air quality. It is primarily concerned with providing an introduction to the topic and encapsulates the knowledge and experience derived from experts in all the participating countries of the Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre. Numerical descriptions have been kept to a minimum, while emphasis is placed on describing ventilation and the decision making involved in selecting and planning for ventilation.

A loose-leaf handbook (228 pp) divided into seven chapters covering air change rate, interzonal airflow and building airtightness measurement techniques.

This guide is concerned with the measurement of those parameters which are important in gaining an understanding of air infiltration and ventilation. The guide has been designed so that the material suited to your particular level of interest or current expertise, is readily accessible.

'The intention of the Calculation Techniques Guide is to provide researchers and designers with detailed background to air infiltration modelling and to give step-by-step guidance on the application of modelling techniques in design. Particular emphasis is placed on providing specific guidelines on the calculation of steady-state air infiltration and on air change rates in industrial, commercial and domestic buildings.

This internationally applicable guide to airtightness design solutions is of great practical value to anyone wishing to design dwellings with low pollution and energy demands. By providing details of good construction practice for a range of countries and climates, the AIVC's original handbook is still relevant today.