English

Incidence of building occupant health and comfort complaints (tight building syndrome) have been linked to energy efficient, mechanically environmentally controlled sealed building technology and systems now characteristic to most office, commercial and publica buildings.

Pollutants in a substantial number of buildings have now been investigated by public and private agencies. The archive of data on indoor pollutant levels observed in office buildings under conditions of normal operation and occupancy are reviewed using a computer based Building Performance Database. Representative values of 153 pollutants as well as detailed frequency distributions of commonly measured pollutants and of temperature and humidity are presented.

This is a review paper addressing the current state-of-the-art. Concerns that motivate studies of the indoor environment are reviewed in the introduction. The source and typical diurnal variations of the concentration of several air contaminants are discussed in the section on characterization. A dynamic model is described in the section on indoor air quality modelling. Indoor air pollution control techniques are addressed in the last section.

A design is proposed to improve the performance of wind towers (or Baud-Geers) for natural ventilation and passive cooling. Under similar climatological and design conditions, the new design is capable of delivering air to the building at higher flow rates. It can also cool the air evaporatively to lower temperatures. Higher airflow rates and the evaporative cooling capability of the new Baud-Geer design can be fully utilized at night in summer to cool the building mass to lower temperatures. Momentum, mass and energy analyses are carried out for the proposed design.

Includes papers on pitched roofs, flat roofs, wall construction, window and door joints, and weathertightness and water penetration of buildings. The focus is mainly on water penetration but air infiltration and ventilation are also discussed.

This report analyses the data obtained from windows tested for the British manufacturing industry over the past ten years. The tests were conducted according to BS 4315: Part 1: 1968 and the results compared with the stated performance levels given in BS Draft for Development 4:1971. Possible trends in design and performance are indicated.

This report analyses the data obtained from 134 windows tested for the British manufacturing industry since the inception of new test methods in 1983. The tests were conducted in accordance with BS 5368 and the results classified according to BS 6375: Part 1: 1983: Classification for weathertightness. Possible trends in design and limitations in the application of test results are indicated.

This paper describes the development of a computational air flow modelling technique, and identifies applications within clean room installations. Details are given of a validation exercise in which air flow patterns and velocities for a number of simple 2-dimensional configurations were both measured and predicted. The good agreement between measurements and predictions clearly demonstrates the usefulness of the method.

This paper examines the frequency distribution of indoor radon concentrations and air exchange rates in conventional and energy-efficient houses, discusses radon source magnitudes, compares the distribution of source magnitudes with information on emanation rates from source materials, and, finally, considers the ways in which variability in source magnitude might affect regulatory efforts to control indoor concentrations of radon and its daughters.

This paper reviews the literature on sources and measurement of natural airborne radionuclides and radiation in buildings. It also briefly reviews control measures and suggests areas for further research. The major emphasis is given to radon 222 and its daughters, since they typically cause thelargest organ dose to the general population, most of which arises from indoor exposures. The indoor radiation field from radionuclides fixed in building materials and soil is also given substantial treatment.