Effect of building ventilation on indoor environment

Abstract

Planning healthy indoor environments is a main part of sustainable design. In order to provide better indoor comfort for the occupants, modern building planning and operational practices should be either modified or improved. This study was aimed at building planning aspects and ventilation rates resulting in indoor environments. Since indoor CO2 concentration can reflect the ventilation rate of built environments, it was monitored in a sample of residential buildings by varying several aspects related to air quality. This includes CO2 levels with void to wall ratio of activity spaces in buildings, operating patterns of windows, and the wind speed inside the building together with the effect of micro-climate. Also the ventilation rates of an airconditioned spaces were monitored with a survey of occupant comfort levels .It was revealed that good ventilation rates by having higher void to wall ratio, higher indoor wind speed and proper window operating schedule can lower the indoor CO2 levels and improve the comfort conditions. Therefore, complying with proper building planning practices such as selecting proper orientations, capturing the wind direction, practicing proper operating schedules for the provided openings and creating better micro-climate would result healthier built environments.