This paper tries to give a reasonable description of the state of the art of the Belgian building stock with regard to ventilation. The Belgian research projects on ventilation in buildings, which were carried out recently, enable a precise overview of the quality of the Belgian building stock to be gained. It shows that airtightness varies a great deal from one building to another. Very leaky as well as very airtight buildings are frequently found. Notable is the near absence of controllable ventilation provisions.
Increases in building air tightness for purposes of energy saving have, unfortunately, also led to a significant increase in the number of instances of condensation damage, particularly in domestic properties. The cost effective control of condensation is a large problem in the United Kingdom, especially for local authorities with large housing stocks.
This paper reviews research activities undertaken in the framework of IEA Annex XIV, "Energy and Condensation". It outlines the objectives and working scheme. The importance of ventilation as an influencing factor and a remedial measure is investigated. The central theme of the IEA workshop, held in Leuven in September, 1985, was the problem of condensation.
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