Part of the BRE Trust ERA-Can Research Workshop IAQ problems in modern buildings Dr Andy Dengel, Director of Environment BRE 7 th June 2016 2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
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Part of the BRE Trust
ERA-Can Research Workshop
IAQ problems in modern buildings
Dr Andy Dengel, Director of Environment
BRE7th June 2016
2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
Today’s Presentation
2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
Why is IAQ so important?
Sources of indoor air pollution:
o Outdoors
o Indoors
o From ‘unintended consequences’
BRE case studies:
o Commercial jobs
o Research projects
Solutions to the problems
Why is IAQ important?
– We spend on average 80% of our time indoors
– Some people spend up to 100% of time indoors
(including those most vulnerable to poor IAQ)
– Poor indoor environments can affect:
o Comfort
o Health & Wellbeing (physical, mental)
o Productivity
o Learning
o Healing and recuperation
o Buildings and materials
High profile area – e.g. RCP Report, Feb 2016
2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
• Working party report in association with the Royal Society
of Paediatrics and Child Health
• The impact of exposure to air pollution across the course of
a lifetime
• Indoor air quality acknowledged as very important
https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/outputs/every-breath-we-take-lifelong-impact-air-pollution
“Every breath we take: the
lifelong impact of air pollution”
Effects range from discomfort … to irritation …
to morbidity … to mortality
2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
Outdoor sources of air pollution
2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
Odour
VOCs
Formaldehyde
Moisture
Carbon
dioxide
Particles
Biological
Inorganic gases, NO2, CO, Ozone, Rn
Tobacco
smoke (ETS)
Indoor sources of air pollution
2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
Building materials, furnishings, decorative finishes, consumer products, combustion
of fuels, occupant activities (e.g. cooking, smoking/vaping), ingress from outdoors
(Diagram Courtesy of VEETECH Ltd.)
2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
Unintended consequences of the ‘energy
efficiency’ agenda
Build tight … ventilate … right?
Opportunities for infiltration & natural ventilation
2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
BRE commercial work – IAQ issues
2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
– IAQ problems (incl. “SBS”)
– Ventilation issues, re-entrainment
– Thermal comfort => Overheating
– Provides buildings for BRE Trust
Future Cities research
– Schools & universities
– Offices
– Housing
– Aircraft cabins, trains, whisky
warehouses, tanks, …
Building materials and consumer products
2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
– Formaldehyde releases
– VOC emissions from
decorative products
– VOC/formaldehyde emissions
from building products
– Plug-ins and candles
– Cigarettes and e-cigarettes
– Aerosols & cosmetics
Research – outdoor air pollution
2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
– Stack emissions
– Re-entrainment
– Vehicular emissions
– Particles
– Source control
– Wind tunnel studies
o Behaviour of plumes
o Chemical releases
o Fires
o Shelter in place vs. evacuate
Air Handling UnitsStacks discharging
horizontally
Research – IAQ in occupied buildings
2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
– BRE Trust Future Cities 2012-15
o Development of IEQ protocols
o Hospitals, care homes, schools, social
housing
o Physical measurements vs. occupant
feedback
– Greenwatt Way (SSE) 2010-13
o Ten zero carbon houses in Slough
o IAQ monitoring
o MVHR systems … problems
– Derwenthorpe (JRF) 2013-16
o Six CSH Level 3-4 houses in York
o IAQ monitoring
o Still MVHR problems (& move to MEV)
Case Study: Mechanical ventilation – the pitfalls
2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
Research – building materials
2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
ECO-SEE
– VOC and formaldehyde emissions
testing
– Adsorption/Desorption behaviour
– Monitoring of test cells and demos
How do we tackle IAQ problems in buildings?
2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
Source Control
Design
Materials
Thank you for your attention.
ANY QUESTIONS?
www.bre.co.uk
2016 | BRE – Fire & Building Technology Group
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