This investigation was carried out on a mechanically ventilated office building with a high prevalence of occupant symptoms. The commonest complaints were of dry air, stuffy air and noise. Occupant symptoms, however, were most strongly associated with reports of dusty air and static electricity. Allergic and asthmatic people suffered the most. Cleaning standards were high, and upgrading the air filters failed to give improvements in occupant symptoms. Air flows to the rooms were adequate, but air movements in the rooms were poor.
The paper deals with the differences in the air quality between that perceived by the occupants (breathing zone) and that in the occupied zone as a whole. An environmental chamber with a displacement ventilation system has been used to carry out the measurements with the presence of a heated mannequin and heat sources. Measurement of the age of air distribution in the chamber were carried out for different room loads. It has been found that the perceived air quality for a seated mannequin is about 40% better than the average value in the occupied zone.
Comprehensive air velocity measurements were carried out above a thermal manikin to find the velocity distribution in the plume above the head. The thermal manikin was either standing or sitting in a climate room (6 x 8 x 4.6 m) in quiet, isothermal surroundings. The air velocities in the plume were measured at different heights above the top of the head. The manikin's heat effect was varied within a wide range. The measurements were made with both a breathing and a non-breathing manikin.
In 1993, the Open University in Milton Keynes, UK, refurbished the open-plan first floor Design Studio in their Publishing Department to use natural ventilation to keep the interior cool. At the same time the third floor, which was not suitable for passive cooling, was fitted with mechanical comfort cooling units and the intermediate floor was not changed. This paper compares tl1e thermal performance of the three floors and discusses the results of a staff-satisfaction survey conducted among the occupants.
Building products have been shown to affect the perceived indoor air quality in buildings. Consequently, there is a need for characterizing the emissions from building products in sensory terms to evaluate their impact on the perceived air quality. Determining the exposure-response relationship between concentration of the emission from a building product and human response is recommended. A practical method is proposed based on an air-dilution system connected to the exhaust of a ventilated small-scale test chamber.
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