scholarly journals Analysis of Impact of Natural Ventilation Strategies in Ventilation Rates and Indoor Environmental Acoustics Using Sensor Measurement Data in Educational Buildings

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6122
Author(s):  
María L. de la Hoz-Torres ◽  
Antonio J. Aguilar ◽  
Diego P. Ruiz ◽  
María Dolores Martínez-Aires
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Acoustic Environment ◽  
Educational Buildings ◽  
Ventilation Strategies ◽  
Ventilation Rates

Indoor environmental conditions can significantly affect occupants’ health and comfort. These conditions are especially important in educational buildings, where students, teachers and staff spend long periods of the day and are vulnerable to these factors. Recently, indoor air quality has been a focus of attention to ensure that disease transmission in these spaces is minimised. In order to increase the knowledge in this field, experimental tests have been carried out to characterise the impact of natural ventilation strategies on indoor air quality and the acoustic environment. This study has evaluated three ventilation scenarios in four different classrooms in buildings of the University of Granada, considering different window and door opening configurations. Ventilation rates were estimated using the CO2 Decay Method, and background noise recordings were made in each classroom for acoustic tests. Results show that specific natural ventilation strategies have a relevant impact that is worth considering on the background noise in indoor spaces. In this sense ventilation rates provided by the different configurations varied between 3.7 and 39.8 air changes per hour (ACH) and the acoustic tests show a background noise ranging from 43 to 54 dBA in these scenarios. Consequently, managers and teachers should take into account not only the ACH, but also other collateral impacts on the indoor environmental conditions such as the thermal comfort or the acoustic environment.

scholarly journals Window operation behaviour and indoor air quality during lockdown: A monitoring-based simulation-assisted study in London

2021 ◽  
pp. 014362442110177
Author(s):  
Farhang Tahmasebi ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
Elizabeth Cooper ◽  
Daniel Godoy Shimizu ◽  
Samuel Stamp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Probabilistic Models ◽  
Performance Model ◽  
Outdoor Environment ◽  
Ventilation Strategies ◽  
The Impact

The Covid-19 outbreak has resulted in new patterns of home occupancy, the implications of which for indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy use are not well-known. In this context, the present study investigates 8 flats in London to uncover if during a lockdown, (a) IAQ in the monitored flats deteriorated, (b) the patterns of window operation by occupants changed, and (c) more effective ventilation patterns could enhance IAQ without significant increases in heating energy demand. To this end, one-year’s worth of monitored data on indoor and outdoor environment along with occupant use of windows has been used to analyse the impact of lockdown on IAQ and infer probabilistic models of window operation behaviour. Moreover, using on-site CO2 data, monitored occupancy and operation of windows, the team has calibrated a thermal performance model of one of the flats to investigate the implications of alternative ventilation strategies. The results suggest that despite the extended occupancy during lockdown, occupants relied less on natural ventilation, which led to an increase of median CO2 concentration by up to 300 ppm. However, simple natural ventilation patterns or use of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery proves to be very effective to maintain acceptable IAQ. Practical application: This study provides evidence on the deterioration of indoor air quality resulting from homeworking during imposed lockdowns. It also tests and recommends specific ventilation strategies to maintain acceptable indoor air quality at home despite the extended occupancy hours.

scholarly journals FACTORS AFFECTING VENTILATION, INDOOR-AIR QUALITY AND ACOUSTICAL QUALITY IN ‘GREEN’ AND NON-‘GREEN’ BUILDINGS: A PILOT STUDY

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 168-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alireza Khaleghi ◽  
Karen Bartlett ◽  
Murray Hodgson
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Green Buildings ◽  
Noise Levels ◽  
Ventilation Rates

This paper discusses a pilot project involving the direct monitoring of ventilation, indoor-air quality and the acoustical conditions in selected nominally ‘green’ and non-‘green’ buildings located on a university campus. The objectives were to measure parameters quantifying these three aspects of indoor environmental quality, determine the relationships between them and the building-design concepts, and evaluate the implications of the results for ventilation-system design, especially in ‘green’ buildings. Measurements were made in rooms, with and without acoustical treatment, in buildings with natural ventilation or mechanical (displacement and/or mixed-flow) ventilation systems. Measurements were made of ventilation rates (air changes per hour), indoor air quality (respirable-fibre, total-VOC and ultrafine-particulate concentrations), and the acoustical conditions (noise levels and reverberation times). Correlations between the environmental results, the building concept, the ventilation concept and the building window status were explored. In rooms with natural ventilation, low-frequency noise and total sound-pressure levels were lower; however, the rooms had higher ultrafine-particulate counts and lower ventilation rates. Rooms with mechanical ventilation had higher low-frequency and total sound-pressure levels, higher ventilation rates and fibre concentrations, but lower concentrations of ultrafine particulates. It was concluded that, in general, mechanical ventilation can provide better indoor air-quality, but that HVAC noise is an issue if the system is not properly designed. In ‘green’ buildings, noise levels were acceptable when the windows were closed, but increasing the ventilation rate by opening the windows resulted in higher noise levels. The results suggest that the acceptability of environmental factors in buildings depends on the degree of compliance of the design and its implementation with standards and design guidelines (i.e. for ventilation, air quality, thermal comfort, etc.), whether the original design concept is ‘green’ or non-‘green’.

Analysis of Thermal Comfort and Air Quality in the Kindergarten Hart - A Case Study of a Unique Sustainable Building Design

2019 ◽  
Vol 887 ◽  
pp. 500-507
Author(s):  
Matthias Schuss ◽  
Mahnameh Taheri ◽  
Ulrich Pont ◽  
Ardeshir Mahdavi
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Indoor And Outdoor

The present contribution, reports on the results of ongoing research efforts on performance assessment of a number of buildings designed by the Austrian architect, Konrad Frey. He is a pioneer of energy-efficient architecture, and his designs, those dating back to the 1970s, adapted the principles of modern solar houses. The current study focuses on the Kindergarten Hart, which was especially designed focusing on the availability of cross ventilation option in building. For the purpose of analyzing thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and the occupants’ adaptive actions with respect to natural ventilation, we conducted long-term monitoring under summer and winter conditions. The monitoring efforts covered indoor and outdoor environmental conditions, as well as the state of windows. Thereby, study of the monitored dataset provides a better understanding of the building performance. Moreover, it makes it possible to examine whether the architect’s expectations in terms of thermal comfort and indoor air quality levels are fulfilled or not. In addition, investigation of the occupants’ interactions with windows, together with indoor and outdoor environmental conditions, assists understanding of possible associations between the window opening/closing and environmental parameters, as well as potential optimization of the control-oriented actions.

scholarly journals Clustering of educational building load data for defining healthy and energy-efficient management solutions of integrated HVAC systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 03001
Author(s):  
Daniele Testi ◽  
Alessandro Franco ◽  
Paolo Conti ◽  
Carlo Bartoli
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Hvac Systems ◽  
Dynamic Adjustment ◽  
Efficient Management ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
Educational Buildings ◽  
Ventilation Rates

The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the way individuals, worldwide, feel about staying in public indoor spaces. A strict control of indoor air quality and of people’s presence in buildings will be the new normal, to ensure a healthy and safe environment. Higher ventilation rates with fresh air are expected to be a requirement, especially in educational buildings, due to their high crowding index and social importance. Yet, in this framework, an increased use of primary energy may be overlooked. This paper offers a methodology to efficiently manage complex HVAC systems in educational buildings, concurrently considering the fundamental goals of occupants’ health and energy sustainability. The proposed fourstep procedure includes: dynamic simulation of the building, to generate synthetic energy loads; clustering of the energy data, to identify and predict typical building use profiles; day-ahead planning of energy dispatch, to optimize energy efficiency; dynamic adjustment of air changes, to guarantee a safe indoor air quality. Clustering and forecasting energy needs are expected to become particularly effective in a highly regulated context. The technique has been tested on two university classroom buildings, considering pre-lockdown attendance. This notwithstanding, quality and significance of the obtained thermal energy clusters push towards a benchmark post-pandemic application.

scholarly journals Seasonal variations and the influence of ventilation rates on IAQ: A case study of five low-energy London apartments

2021 ◽  
pp. 1420326X2110171
Author(s):  
Samuel Stamp ◽  
Esfand Burman ◽  
Clive Shrubsole ◽  
Lia Chatzidiakou ◽  
Dejan Mumovic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Ventilation Rates ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Indoor And Outdoor

The indoor air quality (IAQ) of five low-energy London apartments has been assessed through the measurement of 16 key pollutants, using continuous and diffusive methods across heating and non-heating seasons. This case study approach aimed to assess the presence of pollutants within low-energy apartments and to better understand the role of ventilation and seasonal variations in indoor air quality. The results indicate strong seasonal variations, driven by increased natural ventilation rates over the summer monitoring period. A combined metric for indoor and outdoor pollutants ( Itot) suggests that the IAQ in the winter ( Itot = 17.7) is more than twice as bad as that seen in the summer ( Itot = 8.6). Formaldehyde concentrations were lower in the non-heating season, indicating increased ventilation rates more than offset increased off-gassing, in contrast to findings in other studies. However, increased summertime ventilation rates were observed to increase the proportion of outdoor pollutants entering the internal environment. This resulted in higher indoor concentrations of NO2 in the summer than the winter, despite significant reductions in outdoor concentrations. These results demonstrate the impact of ventilation practices upon IAQ, the influence of occupant actions and the complex relationship ventilation rates play in balancing indoor and outdoor sources of air pollution.

Assessing ventilation strategies in a school with observed indoor air problems

Facilities ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrika Uotila ◽  
Arto Saari ◽  
Juha-Matti Kalevi Junnonen ◽  
Lari Eskola
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Final Decision ◽  
Target Number ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Existing Building ◽  
Ventilation Strategies

Purpose Poor indoor air quality in schools is a worldwide challenge that poses health risks to pupils and teachers. A possible response to this problem is to modify ventilation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to pilot a process of generating alternatives for ventilation redesign, in an early project phase, for a school to be refurbished. Here, severe problems in indoor air quality have been found in the school. Design/methodology/approach Ventilation redesign is investigated in a case study of a school, in which four alternative ventilation strategies are generated and evaluated. The analysis is mainly based on the data gathered from project meetings, site visits and the documents provided by ventilation and condition assessment consultants. Findings Four potential strategies to redesign ventilation in the case school are provided for decision-making in refurbishment in the early project phase. Moreover, the research presents several features to be considered when planning the ventilation strategy of an existing school, including the risk of alterations in air pressure through structures; the target number of pupils in classrooms; implementing and operating costs; and the size of the space that ventilation equipment requires. Research limitations/implications As this study focusses on the early project phase, it provides viewpoints to assist decision-making, but the final decision requires still more accurate calculations and simulations. Originality/value This study demonstrates the decision-making process of ventilation redesign of a school with indoor air problems and provides a set of features to be considered. Hence, it may be beneficial for building owners and municipal authorities who are engaged in planning a refurbishment of an existing building.

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