Ventilation and air pollution: buildings located in urban and city centres. Proceedings.

The objective of this one-day seminar was to address the issues of design and provision of low energy ventilation strategies for non-domestic buildings located in urban and city centres where external air and noise pollution may be of prime concern. Current concerns about energy usage and C02 emissions have led to an increasing number of buildings, both new builds and major refurbishments, employing low-energy ventilation strategies such as natural or fan-assisted ventilation. However, optimum ventilation provision also requires that the quality of the indoor air for the occupants is not compromised. As a result, this has created much debate about how this may be achieved in buildings located in areas where external air and noise pollution may be a major issue. This is compounded by a poor understanding of the interaction between indoor air quality and external pollution. All speakers are at the forefront of the current debate and are actively involved in the areas of low-energy buildings and air pollution; their expertise include policy issues, research, design, construction and commissioning. The programme was prepared to provide a forum to discuss and disseminate current knowledge on low-energy ventilation strategies for urban areas, ingestion into buildings of pollution from traffic and other sources; and air quality monitoring and guidelines. The seminar enabled constructive discussions between speakers and delegates to take place to enable a positive way forward for the future in this area. This seminar was of much interest and value to those involve in the UK construction industry either through policy, research, design, commissioning or development. It also provided delegates with a unique opportunity and a forum to address and discuss issues relating to low-energy ventilation strategies and ventilation provision in urban and city centres where pollution may be of much concern.