Indoor air quality in two different commercial buildings: Part 1: ventilation, temperature, humidity of air and gas concentrations

The main objective of this study was to investigate the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in officebuildings and to understand better how HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning)systems work and what their effects are on IAQ over a sustained period. Two Frenchcommercial buildings were chosen, located in urban areas of Lyon and Paris, and for one daya month, over the course of 1 year, a number of IAQ related variables were recorded bothinside, including the HVAC system, and outside the buildings. Physical parameters oftemperature, relative humidity, air flow rate, gas concentration (CO, CO2, NOx, HCHO), airbio-contaminants (fungi, bacteria), dust concentrations and air filter efficiencies wereevaluated. The results presented in this article show the relationships between HVAC air flowrates and occupant comfort, and illustrate the variation in IAQ for two French commercialbuildings. Other data are presented and discussed in Part 2 of the article.