English

Outdoor PM2.5 has a continuous and significant effect on the indoor environment, and lobby floors, in particular, can be exposed to high concentrations due to entrance doors and greater airflow rates than other floors. In this study, the PM2.5 indoor-to-outdoor (I/O) ratio for lobby floors was evaluated according to the operation type and configuration of entrance doors. Airflow analysis was conducted for an office building with multi-zone network simulation, and the I/O ratio was evaluated for different entrance strategies according to the occupant traffic schedule.

Sleep is essential for overall health and well-being. The quality and efficiency of sleep are strongly influenced by the sleep environment, including indoor air quality. This study investigates the influence of mechanical ventilation on bedroom air quality during sleep and its impact on sleep efficiency and quality. Objective and subjective measurements were conducted to assess the effects of operating a mechanical ventilation system.

The predicted and measured carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by human respiration into an occupied space has been used as an indicator for controlling buildings' ventilation rates. However, this application assumes a constant emission rate for the entire population. Conversely, new knowledge has shown that this variable depends on the number of people in the room and their sex, diet, height, and above all, body mass and metabolic rate.

The risen awareness of improved indoor air quality has resulted in an increased energy demand for HVAC systems due to higher air exchange rates and the additional operation of air purifiers. Therefore, the need for energy-efficient methods to improve indoor air quality has grown. In this experimental study, we develop an innovative wet scrubber concept to remove solid particles from the airflow. In contrast to conventional wet scrubbers, this concept uses a perforated plate and the hydrostatic pressure to feed water droplets into the air stream.

Maintaining a good indoor air quality level has received growing attention in the past years. Especially the smaller particles like PM2.5 (particles of aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm) and UFP (ultrafine particles, aerodynamic diameter less than 100 nm) might lead to higher health risks. Vehicle cabin is one challenging environment due to the elevated particle concentrations from the surroundings.

We performed residential indoor fine particle (PM2.5) measurement from 26 homes and three outdoor monitoring locations. Six PM2.5-bound phthalate easters (PAEs) — including dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP) — were measured using a thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometer method. Average concentrations of summation of six PAEs (Σ6PAEs) in residential indoors (646.9 ng/m3) were slightly lower than the outdoor levels.

The world is seeing a rapid increase of cooling of buildings1. This is driven by multiple factors, such as urbanization and densification, climate change and elevated comfort expectations together with economic growth in hot and densely populated regions of the world. Additionally, disruptive events, such as extreme heat and heat waves are occurring more often and are expected to become a common phenomenon by mid-century. The trend towards cooling seems inexorable. It is therefore mandatory to steer this development towards sustainable solutions.

The world is facing a rapid increase of air conditioning of buildings. This is driven by multiple factors, such as urbanisation and densification, climate change and elevated comfort expectations together with economic growth in hot and densely populated climate regions of the world. The trend towards cooling seems inexorable therefore it is mandatory to guide this development towards sustainable solutions.

Airtightness is of key importance, both for indoor thermal comfort and for energy efficiency of buildings. Although formally regulated by the rulebook on minimum energy efficiency requirements for buildings, airtightness is not properly addressed in practice in Montenegro. Airtightness measurements are not mandatory, so there is no data in this regard for the building stock so far.

The AIVC is preparing a series of VIP on national regulations and trends in airtightness for various countries (numbered VIP 45.XX), detailing for both building and ductwork airtightness: