A simple interactive design tool for sizing, locating and determining pollution attenuation features of urban air inlets suitable for office buildings.

This paper identifies successful ways of applying natural ventilation to non domestic buildings locatedin urban areas. Whilst noise and contaminant pollution sources are a problem methods of avoiding theseemissions are discussed. A review of literature has established that pollution problems arise for buildingswhich are in close proximity to roads, railways, airports and local industries. Location of ventilation airinlets will affect the quality of indoor air, therefore it is essential that they are located in ways thatminimise the ingress of external pollutants. Potential pollution avoidance strategies include, hatingvents on sheltered facades and positioning central inlets at a suficient height from emissions. Windflows patterns around buildings have an important impact on air quality, and a simple model is discussedthat determines the decrease in pollutant concentrations between emission sources and air intakes.Adequate ventilation is required to limit the number of occasions when indoor temperatures areuncomfortable. A series of well established models are presented based on different natural ventilationconcepts. These models can be used to size air inlet. for any building, to provide specified ventilationrates on any floor. All issues discussed in the paper form part of an interactive design tool that providesbest practice guidelines for minimising the impact of urban pollution, selecting suitable air inlets, andsizing thorn so as to provide adequate ventilation during the summer.