Objective
This project was initiated to try and understand the "sick building syndrome" reported in several buildings and particularly in offices. For that purpose the correlation between complaints and indoor air quality as well as the energy impact of the pollution due to higher ventilation rate have to be quantified and studied in a systematic way on a European scale.
The objective is to establish a common European procedure for Indoor Air Quality assessment in office buildings and to provide guidance and source control for energy optimisation. It will also contribute to the preparation of a European database on I.A.Q.
A manual for a European IAQ-audit procedure will be produced and the results of the pilot study on 6 office buildings in each of the eight participating countries will be analysed. The project will provide recommendations on ventilation, source control and on IAQ investigation procedures.
The European IAQ audit project will consist in five phases.
Phase 1 :
Preparational seminar at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.
A plenary meeting is held to prepare an Audit procedure for office buildings to be tested in one building before being applied to selected buildings in all participating countries. A research manual is then prepared and edited by the University of Denmark and TNO.
Phase 2 : Pilot Study in Denmark
The procedure defined in phase 1 is carried out in one office building. The participating organisers and assistants are invited to the selected country to learn about the method defined in the manual and to carry out a pilot study. The manual is then revised according to the results.
Phase 3 : Preparation of the Audit
Each partipating country (except Belgium) selects six buildings according to the criteria presented in the revised manual during phase 2 and training sessions are organised for the auditors in agreement with the revised procedure.
Phase 4 : IAQ Audit
The six selected buildings are investigated and the results and findings are analysed. Additional detailed studies, on source identification, ventilation and energy consumption, are carried out and reported separately by WCTB (B) and SBI (DK).
Phase 5 : Final Reporting
A summary of the project results and findings (correlations, comparisons, recommendations) and conclusions is produced by the technical coordinator TNO.
Fields of science
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
2600 AA DELFT
Netherlands