BEPAC Building Environmental Performance Analysis Club
Abstract
Modern buildings, domestic and commercial, have attempted to reduce their energy requirements by improving the airtightness of the envelope and increasing the thickness of insulation. However, this trend has developed simultaneously with increased use of synthetic materials in construction, furnishings and decorations, which give off volatile organic compounds, and increasing living standards which result in higher indoor temperature and moisture generation rates within homes. The result has been a reduction in indoor air quality which directly affects occupant health and increasing problems of dampness in homes, particularly for the poor