Thermal and acoustical performance of "buffer rooms".

The term "buffer room" refers in this context to spaces built between thermally, visually, and acoustically "controlled" indoor rooms and the "no controllable" outdoor environment. Examples of buffer rooms are sunrooms, atria, (enclosed) staircases, and air locks. In a long-term research effort carried out in Austria, buffer rooms were studied with regard to their hygrothermal and acoustical performance within a human-ecological framework. Special attention was paid to the problems of temperature fluctuations and risk of overheating, ventilation rates, and humidity control as well as sound transmission. The research agenda included studies under controlled conditions in SHA, a facility dedicated to building physics research in Vienna, Austria, as well as field investigations. This paper gives a summarized overview of the content and results of some of these studies, focusing on the issues of thermal performance as well as the acoustical insulation effect of sun rooms and its relationship to natural ventilation.