Prediction of the indoor air quality trend in a dwelling in the Mediterranean climate.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the indoor air quality parameters in a residentialdwelling using information from the field. The subject was a typical example of the modernItalian dwelling stock, built in the 1980s in a residential area in the northernpart of Rome.The dwelling was constructed from pre-cast panels using industrial building techniques. Thewindows were steel-framed and painted. Airtightness was measured to obtain the ACH (airchanges per hour) at 50 Pa pressure difference, and ELA (equivalent leakage area). Otherparameters which were also measured to predict the behaviour of the dwelling during naturalventilation the influence of the urban environmental conditions. The data were used as inputto simulations using the NIST multizone model CONTAM96 to predict the contaminantdistribution within the dwelling during normal activities such as cooking, smoking etc. Thecombined use of field measurements and computer simulation produces a better evaluation ofthe pollutant trends than previously available, since quantities such as airtightness of windowsand frames previously had to be estimated from background literature, based mainly onfactory tests, which ignore quality of workmanship during construction.