English

In an International Energy Agency collaborative project, an attempt has been made to establish indicators that unambiguously characterise energy use in a cold climate. Detailed information was obtained from 11 buildings in the seven participating countries. The project revealed that often there are no internationally accepted methods or definitions for the determination of different quantities. There is no general indicator that can on its own describe the energy effectiveness of a building.

The project selected fifteen patients known to be allergic to house dust mites and living in homes with bad moisture damage. The aim was to study the effect on the indoor environment and medical parameters after adequate measures had been taken against moisture damage. Moisture and other technical parameters in the indoor environment and the damaged building components were measured prior to, and at least one year after, these measures. Questionnaire surveys and various medical examinations were made parallel with the measurements.

States that there is an evident relationship between the occurrence of mould indoors and medical conditions such as inflammation of the airways, and that glucans, found in active and inactive mould, can be used as a measure of the biomass of mould. Elevated quantities of glucans have been found in buildings where complaints had been made, but where there was no visible mould or mouldy smell. An investigation of an estate of terraced housed found that the quantity of airborne glucans was determined as an indication of the quantity of mould spores in the air in 70 houses.

This symposium covers materials, techniques and technologies successfully employed in energy efficient air barrier systems for residential and commercial buildings. Also looks at occupancy ventilation issues when developing functional energy efficient air barrier systems.

Defines the fundamentals of heating systems, including components, features, common system types, ventilation, indoor air quality and air filtration. Discusses the important features of design and installation that are most commonly overlooked. Aimed at the homeowner. Contents include: heating fundamentals; heating system types; features to consider when choosing a heating system; common system types described; overview of ventilation systems and how they relate to heating systems; filtration.

The symposium aimed to address the merits and drawbacks of various requirements for residential ventilation along with the problems encountered in implementing these requirements. Discusses proposed and existing ventilation standards and codes in the United States and Canada. Presentations included investigations of site-built as well as manufactured homes and highlighted issues relating to implementation, IAQ, energy, moisture and economics. Also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of requiring mechanical ventilation in residences.

Describes the results of the experimental evaluaton of two precast concrete sandwich panels. States that for best results for precast concrete walls, the air barrier must be sufficiently airtight to achieve static pressure equalization and there must be sufficient venting to achieve dynamic pressure-equalization. Similar results were obtained from research conducted on other wall systems. For precast concrete walls, these results are best obtained by minimizing the cavity volume and decreasing air barrier leakage before increasing vent area.

Describes the experimental evaluation of a brick veneer steel stud (BVSS) test specimen. The system was evaluated for air leakage characteristics, pressure equalization response, deflection and water penetration. Concludes that for best results for BVSS walls, the air barrier must be sufficiently airtight to achieve static pressure equalization and there must be sufficient venting to achieve dynamic pressure equalization. Similar results were obtained from research conducted on other wall systems.

Describes a research and development project that has been started in order to generate design guidelines for PER walls. The three tasks covered are computer modelling, experimental evaluation and development of design guidelines. Describes the results of the experimental evaluation of an exterior insulation finish system. The systems were evaluated for air leakage characteristics, pressure equalization response and water penetration. Concludes that a wall designed to PER principles is more able to resist rain penetration.

Presents a simplified CFD interface (SCI) intended to allow architects and building engineers to use CFD with little training. It can be easily integrated into new CFD programs.