English

The paper presents the results of the analysis of the impact of various ventilation systems on indoor air quality and energy consumption, performed for a typical Polish elementary school that was built in 1970s. Simulations were made with the use of two computer codes: CONTAM W and ESP-r. A multizone model of the global capacity of 9464 m3 was performed. The model contained 17 classrooms and 10 additional rooms typical of such buildings.

A research project aimed at investigating IAQ and thermal, acoustic and visual comfort was carried out in Italian high school and university classrooms. The investigations were performed through field campaigns during regular lesson periods consisting of subjective surveys and measurements. This work focuses in analysing the results from the IAQ investigations at four high schools of Provincia di Torino during the heating period.

The Minimum Ventilation Rate standard for dwellings is essential not only to provide occupant health and comfort, but also to remove and dilute the dominant pollutants. The purpose of this survey is to clarify and compare the regulations, standards or guidelines of ventilation requirements for residential buildings of various countries. The studies are based on the many literatures and interviews with the specialists in building regulation.

Steel truss structures, covered with a PVC thin sheet of matt light colour, were used in recent time for the construction of three new classrooms in the University of Catania (southern Italy). Although the construction was fast and cheap, the classrooms proved to be uncomfortable in relation to thermal and luminous environment. A first analysis revealed that the drawbacks were caused by the ultra-lightweight of the structure as a whole, resulting in thermal discomfort.

This paper presents ventilation systems with longitudinal counterflow spiral recuperators. Heat transfer losses in ventilation system can be reduced by increasing the length of the recuperator, but in this case pressure drops increase. These two losses determine exploitation costs. Taking into consideration the results of measurements and calculations the costs for capital expenditure and exploitation of ventilation systems are minimized.

In the scope of the EU supported project RESHYVENT, the possible integration of Renewable Energy Solutions (RES) into hybrid ventilation systems has been analysed. The focus has been on solar and wind applications to substitute the use of fossil fuel. The feasibility of the investigated options depends on the ventilation concept the RES is integrated into, the location of the building geographically, placement of the RES in the building and on the urban environment.

The aim of the project is to study, develop, build (prototype system) and evaluate an energy efficient demand controlled hybrid ventilation system for dwellings in a cold climate. Hybrid ventilation in a cold climate means a ventilation system with low pressure drops, which result in a minimisation of the mechanical energy for ventilation, and that natural driving forces can play an important role.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of improved air distribution on symptoms and self-evaluated productivity in a landscape office in which the air was distributed with ventilated cooled beams. The intervention consisted of the improvement of evenness of the air distribution by installing an extra whirl diffuser at the end of every second cooled beam. As a consequence, the draught risk quantified by the draught rating model DR, was reduced to some extend.

Major ventilation developments covering systems, measurements and design methods have taken place over the last 25 years. Our understanding about the impact of ventilation on the indoor environment and energy use has also evolved. This paper outlines these developments. Many future challenges are considered including minimum ventilation rates, energy efficient cooling, cost effective heat recovery and the development of calculation techniques.

For retrofitting of existing dwellings MVHR is seldom applied, despite the potential in energy saving and improving thermal comfort and indoor air quality. Major barriers and limitations for application are lack of space, especially for the supply ducts and the MVHR units as well as the complexity of execution. Also initial costs are an important barrier. Limiting supply ducts could be beneficial for application in single family dwellings. In a study some configurations with simplified air supply with MVHR in single family dwellings have been investigated.