Qualità ambientale interna e percezione del comfort negli uffici

La qualità ambientale interna (domini acustico, termico, visivo e qualità dell’aria) influisce sul comfort degli occupanti. In seguito ad un’analisi di norme, strumenti di certificazione ambientale e letteratura, sono stati simulati lo stato di fatto e il progetto di un ufficio della sede dell'ARPA Valle d'Aosta. Sono stati sviluppati un protocollo e una visualizzazione grafica per individuare un metodo di valutazione e rappresentazione della qualità ambientale interna e del comfort percepito

Development and Metrological Characterization of a Multi-sensor Device for Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) monitoring

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), which affects people's health, comfort, well-being and productivity, combines thermal, visual, acoustic and air quality conditions. This work deals with design, development and metrological characterization of a low-cost multi-sensor device that is able to detect the quality conditions of indoor environments for IEQ purposes. The device, hereafter referred as PROMET&O (PROactive Monitoring for indoor EnvironmenTal quality & cOmfort) embeds a set of low-cost sensors that measure air temperature and relative humidity, illuminance, sound pressure level, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, formaldehyde, and nitrogen dioxide. The basic architecture of the device is described and the design criteria that are related to the measurement requirements are highlighted. Particular attention has been paid towards the traceability assurance of the measurements provided by PROMET&O by means of specifically conceived calibration procedures, which have been tailored to the requirements of each measurement quantity. The calibration is based on the comparison to reference standards following commonly employed or ad-hoc developed technical procedures. The defined calibration procedures can be applied both for the single sensors and for the set of sensors integrated in the multi-sensor case. For the latter, the effects of the percentage of permeable case surface and the sensors allocation are also investigated. A preliminary uncertainty evaluation of the proposed multi-sensor device is reported for the carbon dioxide and the illuminance sensors taking the defined calibration procedures into account

Acoustic comfort contribution to the overall indoor environmental quality in workplaces

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) expresses the combined effect of thermal, acoustic, lighting conditions and indoor air quality, for its impact on comfort perception in workplaces. The importance assigned to the four IEQ domains is not equal in the main Building Performance Certification Programs (LEED, WELL, BREEAM). Acoustic comfort is one of the less accounted despite it significantly affects occupants’ global comfort, health, well-being and work productivity, due to noise disturbance. Furthermore, acoustic comfort perception is influenced by occupants’ behavior and related to the concepts of anthropic noise, speech privacy and discretion. This study analyses the different weight of IEQ domains on global comfort and defines parameters functional to occupants’ comfort assessment. To this aim, acoustic parameters have been analyzed and selected among the ones defined by standards and Building Performance Certification Programs, to additionally ascertain that defined values ensure comfort conditions

MONITORAGGIO DEL RUMORE ANTROPICO IN UFFICI OPEN-SPACE CON E SENZA SEGNALE LUMINOSO PER INCORAGGIARE IL COMPORTAMENTO PROATTIVO DEGLI UTENTI

Il rumore antropico è una delle principali fonti di disturbo in uffici open-space. Sei dispositivi, che monitorano il rumore e forniscono un segnale luminoso quando i livelli sonori superano opportune soglie, sono stati utilizzati in due uffici open-space per valutare la tendenza degli occupanti a ridurre il livello di voce se avvisati dal segnale luminoso. L’osservazione etnografica è stata utilizzata per descrivere le interazioni degli utenti con l’ambiente e i dispositivi. Una riduzione di livello è stata registrata nell’ufficio dove l’attività non prevedeva call in remoto in via quasi esclusiva