The connection with the outdoor acoustic environment created by open windows has so far been one of the main impediments to the adoption of natural ventilation (NV), due to indoor noise levels easily exceeding design requirements. Starting from the apparent conflict between ventilation and acoustic comfort needs, and the potential offered by NV for low-energy cooling and ventilation, the study explores the opportunities for shaping healthy and supportive acoustic environments through sound transmitted via ventilation openings. The research question challenges the traditional approach to acoustic design, which assumes noise annoyance reduction by merely reducing decibel noise levels, drawing inspiration from the soundscape concept. Soundscape science characterises the human response to the acoustic environment in context and can help understand if and how NV may contribute to defining spaces that sound good to their occupants. The aim is to go beyond an exclusive focus on the ‘noise’ – ‘noise annoyance’ binomial, and to employ ‘wanted’ sounds as a design resource for creating acoustically pleasant environments. However, the soundscape framework, as described by ISO 12913 standard series, has been primarily developed for use in the context of urban planning. This has led to question (i) how the soundscape approach can be applied to the indoor built environment, (ii) what factors positively influence it and (iii) how it can be measured in residential buildings. A systematic literature review categorized the factors that positively influence acoustic perception in domestic environments, highlighting its strongly multi-factorial nature. Beyond noise level, a combination of acoustic and non-acoustic factors was found to affect acoustic perception, such as the urban context, house and person-related factors, socio-economic, situational, and environmental factors. The study benefited from a round of interview with experts in the field of urban soundscape, indoor soundscape, acoustic design, and public health and well-being. The collective discussion encompassed the characterization, management, and design of indoor (and indoor versus outdoor) soundscapes to identify current research gaps in the objective and subjective evaluation of the indoor acoustic environments. In response, based on a laboratory listening test, a model of perceived affective quality of indoor acoustic environments has been derived to guide the measurement and improvement of indoor residential soundscapes. During the test, 35 participants were asked to rate 20 different sound scenarios each. Scenarios were defined by combining four indoor sound sources and five urban environments, filtered through a window ajar, on 97 attribute scales. Comfort, content, and familiarity were extracted as the main perceptual dimensions explaining respectively 58%, 25% and 7% of the total variance in subjective ratings. A measurement system was proposed, based on a 2-D space defined by two orthogonal axes, comfort, and content, and two derivative axes, engagement and privacy – control, rotated 45° on the same plane. The model was tested in a large-scale online survey to assess the influences of different acoustic and non-acoustic factors on indoor soundscape dimensions, window-opening behavior, and occupant well-being. Evaluating the affective response to the indoor acoustic environment through the comfort – content model helped identifying the impacts that acoustical factors (e.g., sound typology), building (e.g., house size), urban (e.g., availability of a quiet side), situational (e.g., number of people at home), and person-related factors (e.g., noise sensitivity) determine on building occupants depending on the specific activity people are engaged with at home, reaching a more in-depth knowledge compared to appraisals based on annoyance evaluation alone. By disentangling the positive and negative contributions of sound stimuli according to people’s perception, it was possible to highlight the opportunity provided by NV to create a sense of place and enhance indoor soundscapes, providing useful masking opportunities in the presence of disturbing indoor noise sources. Results pointed to the existence of benefits from NV able to compensate for a reduced acoustic comfort in case of outdoor acoustic pollution. However, the availability of ‘positive’ urban soundscapes is essential for occupants’ well-being, and is linked primarily to access to natural sounds, but also to other commonly available urban sounds. The ‘quieter’ is therefore not always the better, but it really depends on the composition of indoor and outdoor sound types according to people’s preference and on the interaction with different domains (e.g., visual). Such evidence reinforces the role of acoustics in building and urban design, integrated with the other disciplines involved and based on multi-domain research. Overall, the doctoral study contributes to framing the ‘indoor soundscape’ concept, addressing scientific, industrial, social, and environmental implications, and suggesting future lines of research.

The indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of buildings can have a strong influence on occupants’ productivity and health. Post occupancy evaluation (POE) is the first step in assessing IEQ, and typically relies on subjective surveys of thermal quality, air quality, visual quality, and acoustic quality. However, the practice of conducting POE, from data collection during field studies to data coding, analyses and visualization, is very labor intensive. In addition, there is often a significant discrepancy between major IEQ standards and actual human perception. The Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics (CBPD) at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has expanded POE to include both objective IEQ measurements and records of the TABS that may affect indoor environment and user satisfaction. The suite of three tools including user satisfaction survey, technical attributes of building system and workstation IEQ measurements in the National Environmental Assessment Toolkit has been deployed in over 1600 workstations in 65 buildings, generating a rich database for statistical evaluation of the possible correlations between the physical attributes of workstations, measured environmental conditions, and user satisfaction. The database also supports a number of critical hypotheses relative to the complexity and depth of field data needed, the critical factors that must be collected, and the possibility that humans are indeed good sensors for many variables. The major statements that have been drawn from the research are as follows: (1) Because human health and performance outcomes are a result of an integration of indices, IEQ evaluation must include thermal, air, visual, and acoustic measures. (2) While POE with IEQ measurement is an ideal approach to assessing the full suite of environmental characteristics that impact human satisfaction, health and performance, field measurements are labor and cost intensive. (3) Building occupants can provide critical insights and even real measures of IEQ, and contribute to updating IEQ standards to reflect integrated realities. As such, this research revealed an integrated approach to POE +M by leveraging occupants as sensors to quickly capture IEQ conditions in a work environment. This approach can identify critical factors in the physical environment that impacts building occupant comfort and satisfaction. This approach provides practical IEQ assessment methods and procedures centered on the occupants’ perspective. The ultimate outcome of this research will contribute (1) correlations between occupant perception and measured data, (2) a refined survey method to assess building IEQ capable of robust prediction of building performance, and (3) metrics and guidelines for IEQ standards that capture new IEQ thresholds that impact building occupants’ comfort. The hypotheses tested in this thesis are summarized as follows: Hypothesis 1: Humans are effective sensors for POE+M. Combining occupant responses with key IEQ attributes can provide insight that is comparable to complex field instrumentation. Hypothesis 2: User satisfaction can inform design decisions. Comparing user satisfaction to instrumented IEQ measurements can inform acceptable thermal, air, visual, and acoustic design for occupant satisfaction. Hypothesis 3: Environmental thresholds are not adequate. Comparing user satisfaction to instrumented IEQ measurements can inform acceptable thermal, air, visual, and acoustic quality l conditions for occupant comfort. Multivariate regression, multiple correlation coefficient, and Pearson correlation statistical analysis of the database of 1600 workstations revealed the relationship between measured and perceived IEQ indices, interdependencies between IEQ indices and other satisfaction variables of significance. This research can contribute correlations between occupant perception and measured conditions, and metrics and guidelines for IEQ standards that capture new IEQ thresholds that impact building occupants’ comfort. The key findings of the IEQ data analysis are as follows: The result of the thermal quality revealed that smaller thermal zone, greater window quality, a level of control, measured air temperature at 60 cm from the floor, and radiant temperature asymmetry between exterior and interior walls are critical factors of temperature satisfaction. For air quality, operable windows, window quality, partition height, dedicated exhausts for printer and copy area, return air density are critical factors for overall air quality satisfaction. User satisfaction of the visual quality showed that seated view in the workstation is the most critical factor for user’s overall visual quality satisfaction. In addition, better ceiling fixture, ceiling lens type, window type and managing illuminance level on the work surface are important. Lastly, to ensure the acoustic quality satisfaction in both background noise and frequency from distraction from other people, bigger workstation, more partition sides, higher partitions and management of distributed noise source are critical for user comfort and perceived productivity. Overall, this thesis identified opportunities to improve the process of IEQ assessment by engaging occupants in POE, and define critical indicators for building occupant satisfaction. The results will contribute to the ongoing database of engaging humans as IEQ sensors. In the future, the findings and framework described here may be applied in different aspects of the building delivery process, such as building life cycle evaluation, building design, and the construction stage, to improve occupants’ thermal, air, visual, and acoustic conditions in the building.

There is little empirical evidence in the literature to support industry claims about how green schools tend to have better indoor environmental quality (IEQ) than conventional ones and how teachers in green schools tend to feel better about their schools’ IEQ than those in conventional ones. There is also little empirical evidence in the literature about the impact of improved IEQ in literature about the impact of improved IEQ in schools on teachers’ well-being and their levels of satisfaction with their indoor environments. This research is based on a collaborative partnership with the Government of Manitoba Public Schools Finance Board, and three different public school divisions in Manitoba. It aims to develop and validate a comprehensive methodology to evaluate schools’ IEQ, teachers’ well-being and satisfaction with it, and the relationship between these two aspects. The research evaluated these specific aspects within a sample of three rural schools in Southern Manitoba, Canada: one middle-aged, conventional school; one new, non-green school; and one new, green school certified using the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System. The methodology developed in this thesis employs three main data collection techniques: 1) field measurements using an existing mobile instrument cart to capture environmental indicators of thermal comfort, indoor air quality, lighting quality and acoustics quality in classrooms, 2) a field observation form to record the physical conditions of the evaluated classrooms, and 3) an occupant survey to evaluate teachers’ satisfaction with their classrooms’ IEQ.

A circulação no trânsito das cidades faz parte da rotina das pessoas, que podem despender tempos consideráveis dentro de automóveis durante seus deslocamentos. Fatores como a emissão de gases provinda do tráfego e a má circulação de ar podem afetar a qualidade ambiental no interior dos veículos e torná-lo prejudicial à saúde de seus ocupantes. Sendo assim, durante vinte dias aleatórios, entre agosto e dezembro de 2013, monitorou-se o ambiente interno de um dos ônibus pertencentes ao sistema de transporte coletivo da cidade de São Carlos. Foram medidos temperatura, umidade relativa do ar, ruído, monóxido e dióxido de carbono, compostos orgânicos voláteis totais (COVT) e material particulado. Os dados encontrados foram analisados baseando-se em distintas normas e padrões. Observou-se também a influência dos parâmetros avaliados na saúde das pessoas, de acordo com a literatura. Dentre as referências consultadas, consideraram-se os valores limites recomendados pelo Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego (normas NR-15, NR-17 e NHO 01), pela Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (Resolução 09/03), pelo Conselho Nacional de Meio Ambiente (Resolução 03/90) e pela Organização Mundial de Saúde. A partir dos dados de temperatura e umidade relativa do ar, calculou-se o índice de calor (Heat Index) utilizado pela National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration dos EUA, para averiguação do conforto térmico. Os resultados mostraram que os níveis de temperatura, umidade relativa, índice de calor e material particulado estiveram, em sua maioria, acima dos valores referenciais. O ruído também constitui um fator preocupante, apesar de os valores encontrados estarem abaixo do limite máximo de 85 dB(A), pois, pesquisas recentes indicam que níveis acima de 60 dB(A) tendem trazer complicações à saúde (Willich et al., 2006). Ao observar as concentrações dos óxidos de carbono, notou-se a interferência da poluição provinda do meio externo. Por fim, conclui-se que a qualidade ambiental interna do ônibus pode ser prejudicial principalmente aos cobradores e motoristas, que trabalham neste ambiente por muitas horas diárias. / The movement of traffic in cities is part of the people\'s routine that can spend considerable time inside automobiles during their displacement. Factors such as greenhouse gas emissions from traffic and poor air circulation can affect the environmental quality inside vehicles and make it harmful to the health of its occupants. Thus, for twenty random days between August and December 2013, air quality inside one of the buses belonging to the public transportation system of the city of São Carlos was monitored. Temperature, relative humidity, noise, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and particulate matter were measured. Data were analyzed based on limiting values recommended by different institutions and observing the influence of the parameters measured in people\'s health, according to the literature. Were taken as reference standards established by the Ministry of Labor and Employment (standards NR-15, NR-17 and NHO 01), the National Health Surveillance Agency (Resolution 09/03), the National Environmental Council (Resolution 03 / 90) and the World Health Organization. Aiming to verify the thermal sensation, we calculated the Heat Index used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the USA. The results show that levels of temperature, relative humidity, heat index and particulate matter are mostly above the reference values. Noise is also a worrying factor, despite being within the ceiling of 85 dB (A), because, according to recent surveys, over 60 dB (A) there is potential damage to health (Willich et al., 2006). By observing the concentrations of oxides of carbon, it was noted interference stemmed from the pollution of the external environment. Finally, it is concluded that the air quality inside the bus can be harmful especially to collectors and drivers, working in this environment for many hours a day.

A circulação no trânsito das cidades faz parte da rotina das pessoas, que podem despender tempos consideráveis dentro de automóveis durante seus deslocamentos. Fatores como a emissão de gases provinda do tráfego e a má circulação de ar podem afetar a qualidade ambiental no interior dos veículos e torná-lo prejudicial à saúde de seus ocupantes. Sendo assim, durante vinte dias aleatórios, entre agosto e dezembro de 2013, monitorou-se o ambiente interno de um dos ônibus pertencentes ao sistema de transporte coletivo da cidade de São Carlos. Foram medidos temperatura, umidade relativa do ar, ruído, monóxido e dióxido de carbono, compostos orgânicos voláteis totais (COVT) e material particulado. Os dados encontrados foram analisados baseando-se em distintas normas e padrões. Observou-se também a influência dos parâmetros avaliados na saúde das pessoas, de acordo com a literatura. Dentre as referências consultadas, consideraram-se os valores limites recomendados pelo Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego (normas NR-15, NR-17 e NHO 01), pela Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (Resolução 09/03), pelo Conselho Nacional de Meio Ambiente (Resolução 03/90) e pela Organização Mundial de Saúde. A partir dos dados de temperatura e umidade relativa do ar, calculou-se o índice de calor (Heat Index) utilizado pela National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration dos EUA, para averiguação do conforto térmico. Os resultados mostraram que os níveis de temperatura, umidade relativa, índice de calor e material particulado estiveram, em sua maioria, acima dos valores referenciais. O ruído também constitui um fator preocupante, apesar de os valores encontrados estarem abaixo do limite máximo de 85 dB(A), pois, pesquisas recentes indicam que níveis acima de 60 dB(A) tendem trazer complicações à saúde (Willich et al., 2006). Ao observar as concentrações dos óxidos de carbono, notou-se a interferência da poluição provinda do meio externo. Por fim, conclui-se que a qualidade ambiental interna do ônibus pode ser prejudicial principalmente aos cobradores e motoristas, que trabalham neste ambiente por muitas horas diárias. / The movement of traffic in cities is part of the people\'s routine that can spend considerable time inside automobiles during their displacement. Factors such as greenhouse gas emissions from traffic and poor air circulation can affect the environmental quality inside vehicles and make it harmful to the health of its occupants. Thus, for twenty random days between August and December 2013, air quality inside one of the buses belonging to the public transportation system of the city of São Carlos was monitored. Temperature, relative humidity, noise, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and particulate matter were measured. Data were analyzed based on limiting values recommended by different institutions and observing the influence of the parameters measured in people\'s health, according to the literature. Were taken as reference standards established by the Ministry of Labor and Employment (standards NR-15, NR-17 and NHO 01), the National Health Surveillance Agency (Resolution 09/03), the National Environmental Council (Resolution 03 / 90) and the World Health Organization. Aiming to verify the thermal sensation, we calculated the Heat Index used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the USA. The results show that levels of temperature, relative humidity, heat index and particulate matter are mostly above the reference values. Noise is also a worrying factor, despite being within the ceiling of 85 dB (A), because, according to recent surveys, over 60 dB (A) there is potential damage to health (Willich et al., 2006). By observing the concentrations of oxides of carbon, it was noted interference stemmed from the pollution of the external environment. Finally, it is concluded that the air quality inside the bus can be harmful especially to collectors and drivers, working in this environment for many hours a day.

This study developed and applied a field test to evaluate the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)/Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE)/United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Performance Measurement Protocols (PMP) for Commercial Buildings in a case-study office building in central Texas. As the first integrated protocol on building performance measurement, the ASHRAE PMP accomplished its goal of providing the standardized protocols for measuring and comparing the overall performance of a building, including energy, water, thermal comfort, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), lighting, and acoustics. However, several areas for improvement were identified such as conflicting results from different procedures or benchmarks provided in the ASHRAE PMP; limited guidelines for performing the measurements; lack of detailed modeling techniques, graphical indices, and clear benchmarks; and some practical issues (i.e., high cost requirements and time-intensive procedures). All these observations are listed as the forty issues, including thirteen for energy, five for water, and twenty-two for Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). Recommendations were developed for each issue identified. For the selected high-priority issues, twelve new or modified approaches were proposed and then evaluated against the existing procedures in the ASHRAE PMP. Of these twelve new or modified approaches, the following are the most significant developments: a more accurate monthly energy use regression model including occupancy; a monthly water use regression model for a weather-normalized comparison of measured water performance; a method how to use a vertical temperature profile to evaluate room air circulation; a method how to use LCeq – LAeq difference as a low-cost alternative to estimate low frequency noise annoyance; a statistical decomposition method of time-varying distribution of indices; and a real-time wireless IEQ monitoring system for the continuous IEQ measurements. The application of the forty recommendations and the twelve new or modified approaches developed in this study to the ASHRAE PMP is expected to improve the applicability of the ASHRAE PMP, which aligns the overall purpose of this study. Finally, this study developed a new single figure-of-merit rating system based on the ASHRAE PMP procedures. The developed rating system is expected to improve the usability of the protocols.

Bronopol has been used as a preservative in drugs and cosmetics since 1964. Bronopol has low dermal irritancy at levels commonly used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals but it is significantly irritating at higher concentrations. Laboratory testing of bronopol indicates a low potential for dermal sensitization; however, a number of case reports demonstrate human allergenic reactions. No reports were identified on the allergenic properties of bronopol for the inhalation route of exposure. In 1983 approximately 5,200 people in the United States were occupationally exposed to bronopol. Current novel uses of bronopol include mold remediation and the sanitizing of ventilation system components. These new applications have the potential to expose vast new populations to the chemical. Since 89 million people in the United States work in indoor environments and 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, it is likely that a sizeable portion of these populations will be exposed to bronopol. This is significant since the dermal sensitizing properties of bronopol suggest that the material may also be a respiratory sensitizer, potentially resulting in chemically induced asthma. More people are being diagnosed with asthma today than at any time in the past; the causes of this increased prevalence are largely unknown. In this work an existing ultraviolet spectrophotometric method for analysis of bronopol has been combined with conventional industrial hygiene air sampling techniques. No combined air sampling and analytical method for bronopol has previously been published in the literature. A calibration curve has been developed with a linear range of 1 ug/ml to 25 ug/ml. The instrumental limit of detection is 1 ug/ml with an instrumental limit of quantitation of ca. 3 ug/ml. During chamber sampling trials analytical recovery for treated glass fiber filters yielded a sampling recovery efficiency averaging 99.9 %. Bronopol concentration obtained during chamber sampling trials ranged from 10.80 mg/m3 to 21.59 mg/m3, with a pooled coefficient of variation of 4.33 % for all chamber sampling sets. Treated glass fiber filters spiked with bronopol were found to be stable for a period of 48 hours; derivatized bronopol solutions were found to be stable for a period of fourteen days.

abstract: Given the importance of buildings as major consumers of resources worldwide, several organizations are working avidly to ensure the negative impacts of buildings are minimized. The U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system is one such effort to recognize buildings that are designed to achieve a superior performance in several areas including energy consumption and indoor environmental quality (IEQ). The primary objectives of this study are to investigate the performance of LEED certified facilities in terms of energy consumption and occupant satisfaction with IEQ, and introduce a framework to assess the performance of LEED certified buildings. This thesis attempts to achieve the research objectives by examining the LEED certified buildings on the Arizona State University (ASU) campus in Tempe, AZ, from two complementary perspectives: the Macro-level and the Micro-level. Heating, cooling, and electricity data were collected from the LEED-certified buildings on campus, and their energy use intensity was calculated in order to investigate the buildings' actual energy performance. Additionally, IEQ occupant satisfaction surveys were used to investigate users' satisfaction with the space layout, space furniture, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, lighting level, acoustic quality, water efficiency, cleanliness and maintenance of the facilities they occupy. From a Macro-level perspective, the results suggest ASU LEED buildings consume less energy than regional counterparts, and exhibit higher occupant satisfaction than national counterparts. The occupant satisfaction results are in line with the literature on LEED buildings, whereas the energy results contribute to the inconclusive body of knowledge on energy performance improvements linked to LEED certification. From a Micro-level perspective, data analysis suggest an inconsistency between the LEED points earned for the Energy & Atmosphere and IEQ categories, on one hand, and the respective levels of energy consumption and occupant satisfaction on the other hand. Accordingly, this study showcases the variation in the performance results when approached from different perspectives. This contribution highlights the need to consider the Macro-level and Micro-level assessments in tandem, and assess LEED building performance from these two distinct but complementary perspectives in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the actual building performance. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Engineering 2015

No description available.

<p dir="ltr">As the urbanization trend prevails worldwide, more people are moving to major metropolitan areas, causing housing resources to be in urgent demand. Tiny homes, designed to offer a minimalist lifestyle while also addressing growing housing needs, have become increasingly popular among home seekers. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, individuals primarily spend their time indoors, and with more people adopting work-from-home lifestyles, ensuring a high-quality, sterile, and comfortable indoor environment becomes crucial for indoor occupants. Many studies have highlighted that the activities of occupants significantly influence indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and energy consumption in buildings and applying disinfectants will generate increasing amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which occupants could inhale, causing adverse health effects. Within this thesis, two studies are introduced and discussed. The first study, namely “zEDGE Living Experiments,” conducts a comprehensive evaluation of IEQ satisfaction and energy usage in the Purdue zEDGE Tiny House through real-time measurement and survey analysis. Twenty full-scale experiments were conducted during the winter season. The study first evaluates participants’ perception of IEQ factors, with thermal comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ) emerging as top priorities. It then examined energy adaptive behavior to understand maintenance of comfortable indoor conditions, noting primary adaptive strategies including heating, ventilation, and artificial lighting. The study then measured IEQ and energy consumption, evaluating occupants’ IEQ satisfaction levels. The average energy use was recorded at 10.3 kWh, with occupants generally satisfied with IEQ in the zEDGE Tiny House. Analysis indicated that heating and cooking were significant energy consumers, potentially exposing occupants to high indoor air pollutant levels in such compact living spaces. The second campaign, namely “Performance Evaluation of PID and PTR-TOF-MS,” compares the VOC detection abilities of photoionization detectors (PID) and a state-of-the-art proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-TOF-MS). 54 controlled emission experiments were carried out among 18 different disinfectant products with main ingredients based on alcohol, lactic acid, peracetic acid/acetic acid, and botanical products. The results from time-series and correlation analyses indicate that the PID and PTR-TOF-MS were able to detect VOC signals from emission experiments. While the performances of the PID and PTR-TOF-MS were similar under experiments with alcohol-based products, the PID performed less well with products based on lactic acid and botanical products, and unsatisfactory for peracetic acid/acetic acid-based products.</p>