NRC indoor environment research facility.

This paper describes the new indoor environment research facility recently constructed at the Institute for Research in Construction, National Research Council Canada. This facility allows full-scale testing and physical modelling of office space lighting, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, airflow and contaminant-flow patterns, ventilation, acoustical characteristics, and occupants' reactions to these parameters. The facility consists of a test room, approximately, 12 m by 7 m by 2.74 m high, with adjustable interior partitions. The test area can range in size from a single large open area, to four identical single-officesized test rooms. The facility also has the option of including an exterior wall with windows to produce realistic boundary conditions created by wind and solar effects including daylighting. As well, the ceiling and floor are designed to allow the testing of different types and layouts of air diffusers and luminaires. To have an acoustically stable environment for special types of subjective experiments, noise from the HVAC systems and other external sources will not exceed NC 20 in the test rooms. Regulated and conditioned electrical power is available in the facility. Dedicated control systems provide a controlled environment for the test room and its various realistic boundary conditions.