Alternative to the Conventional Heating and Cooling Systems in Public Buildings

The paper presents an alternative system for heating and cooling in public buildings. The system was designed for the retrofitted building of the Slovene Ethnographic Museum (SEM) where it was also extensively tested. The installed system includes radiant wall mounted panels for heating and cooling, localized automated tangential fans for cooling and ventilation and a centralized building management system for the regulation and supervision of the performance. The efficiency of the system was thoroughly investigated through a series of experiments conducted prior to the renovation of the building as well as after the museum was put into service. The application of the described system resulted in substantial reduction of energy consumption, better internal thermal conditions and lower investment costs for the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system of the entire building. (C)2010 Journal of Mechanical Engineering. All rights reserved

Analysis of Ventilation Efficiency as Simultaneous Control of Radon and Carbon Dioxide Levels in Indoor Air Applying Transient Modelling

The impact of ventilation efficiency on radon (222Rn) and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the indoor air of a residential building was studied by applying transient data analysis within the CONTAM 3.4 program. Continuous measurements of 222Rn and CO2 concentrations, together with basic meteorological parameters, were carried out in an apartment (floor area about 27 m2) located in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Throughout the experiment (October 3–15), frequent ventilation (several times per day), poor ventilation (once to twice per day) and no ventilation scenarios were applied, and the exact ventilation and occupancy schedule were recorded. Based on the measurements, a transient simulation of 222Rn and CO2 concentrations was performed for six sets of scenarios, where the design ventilation rate (DVR) varied based on the ventilation requirements and recommendations. On the days of frequent ventilation, a moderate correlation between the measured and simulated concentrations (r = 0.62 for 222Rn, r = 0.55 for CO2) was found. The results of the simulation indicated the following optimal DVRs: (i) 36.6 m3 h−1 (0.5 air changes per hour, ACH) to ensure a CO2 concentration below 1000 ppm and a 222Rn concentration below 100 Bq m−3; and (ii) 46.9 m3 h−1 (0.7 ACH) to ensure a CO2 concentration below 800 ppm. These levels are the most compatible with the 5C_Cat I (category I of indoor environmental quality, defined by EN 16798-1:2019) scenario, which resulted in concentrations of 656 ± 121 ppm for CO2 and 57 ± 13 Bq m−3 for 222Rn. The approach presented is applicable to various types of residential buildings with high overcrowding rates, where a sufficient amount of air volume to achieve category I indoor environmental quality has to be provided. Lower CO2 and 222Rn concentrations indoors minimise health risk, which is especially important for protecting sensitive and fragile occupants

Creating Healthy and Sustainable Buildings

The open access book discusses human health and wellbeing within the context of built environments. It provides a comprehensive overview of relevant sources of literature and user complaints that clearly demonstrate the consequences of lack of attention to health in current building design and planning. Current designing of energy-efficient buildings is mainly focused on looking at energy problems and not on addressing health. Therefore, even green buildings that place environmental aspects above health issues can be uncomfortable and unhealthy, and can lead to public health problems. The authors identify many health risk factors and their parameters, and the interactions among risk factors and building design elements. They point to the need for public health specialists, engineers and planners to come together and review built environments for human wellbeing and environmental sustainability. The authors therefore present a tool for holistic decision-making processes, leading to short- and long-term benefits for people and their environment

Creating Healthy and Sustainable Buildings

The open access book discusses human health and wellbeing within the context of built environments. It provides a comprehensive overview of relevant sources of literature and user complaints that clearly demonstrate the consequences of lack of attention to health in current building design and planning. Current designing of energy-efficient buildings is mainly focused on looking at energy problems and not on addressing health. Therefore, even green buildings that place environmental aspects above health issues can be uncomfortable and unhealthy, and can lead to public health problems. The authors identify many health risk factors and their parameters, and the interactions among risk factors and building design elements. They point to the need for public health specialists, engineers and planners to come together and review built environments for human wellbeing and environmental sustainability. The authors therefore present a tool for holistic decision-making processes, leading to short- and long-term benefits for people and their environment

Alternative to the Conventional Heating and Cooling Systems in Public Buildings

The paper presents an alternative system for heating and cooling in public buildings. The system was designed for the retrofitted building of the Slovene Ethnographic Museum (SEM) where it was also extensively tested. The installed system includes radiant wall mounted panels for heating and cooling, localized automated tangential fans for cooling and ventilation and a centralized building management system for the regulation and supervision of the performance. The efficiency of the system was thoroughly investigated through a series of experiments conducted prior to the renovation of the building as well as after the museum was put into service. The application of the described system resulted in substantial reduction of energy consumption, better internal thermal conditions and lower investment costs for the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system of the entire building. (C)2010 Journal of Mechanical Engineering. All rights reserved