Given the increasing awareness of indoor air quality (IAQ) and the direct correlation to human health, passive removal materials (PRM) have become known as a potential strategy for reducing occupant exposure to indoor air pollutants (Lu 2013). In recent studies, untreated natural wool fiber has been recognized as a PRM for removing formaldehyde, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. These are common volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from sources, such as building materials, fixtures, furnishings and cleaning supplies (Darling et al. 2012). Test chamber studies have shown that wool fiber can irreversibly remove up to 67% of these VOC’s in an interior environment (Curling et al 2012). When the toxins come in physical contact with the fiber, a chemical reaction occurs due to the amino-acid side chains within the keratin molecule. Increase in air-tight buildings has recently become a concern with the rising popularity of sustainable building practices, causing occupant exposure to these indoor air pollutants to rise (Weschler 2009). Beyond known adverse health effects, such as eye irritation and respiratory issues, formaldehyde has been designated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a human carcinogen and is the leading cause for Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) (World Health Organization 2010). The interior cortex of a wool fiber is hydrophilic – highly water absorbent, and can absorb 1/3 its weight in moisture. Wool fiber has a unique wicking property that allows the fiber to absorb water vapor from the air in a regulating sense; absorbing when there is an excess moisture level and releasing the gained moisture when the surrounding atmosphere is less humid. This provides passive humidity regulation in an indoor environment, stabilizing the comfort level of 20-50% relative humidity (RH) without requiring higher air-conditioning or ventilation rates (Bingelli 2010). Wool also has excellent properties for optimizing indoor acoustics, as it absorbs acoustic energy via the friction of air being moved through the tiny spaces between fibers and reduces traveling noise and reverberation (Bingelli 2010). In an untreated, natural roving state the density of wool is ideal for acoustic control in conversational speech situations where 70dB or lower is present, such as meeting rooms, lobbies and restaurants. With the consideration of these properties, wool has the capability to improve the indoor environment quality (IEQ) and the health of occupants through the absorption of indoor air pollutants, humidity regulation and acoustic control. As Australia and the USA are among the top 3 wool producing countries, I will be working specifically with locally sourced wool from New South Wales and Texas as a basis for a sustainable IEQ intervention installation model that may be applied to future projects. The wool was obtained from local, small-scale fiber farms that implement hand processing in an effort to reduce toxins, in addition to lowering the manufacturing energy and transportation emission requirements. The local supply chain model provides increased environmental, social, economic and human health benefits to the design. Individual installations based on the vernacular wool fiber atrributes and interior climate needs will greatly increase the overall spatial environment, while also serving as an aesthetically pleasing piece of art. / text

This dissertation augmented Kahlor’s (2010) planned risk information seeking model (PRISM). According to the PRISM, people’s intentions to seek risk information hinge on their attitudes toward seeking, seeking-related subjective norms, perceived control over seeking, affective response to the perceived risk, and information need. As well, this dissertation examined the role of self-identity as an information seeker, independent self-construal, past risk information seeking, involvement, and motivation orientation in people’s intention to seek risk information about radon and poor indoor air quality. In a pilot study of a convenience sample (N = 59), I derived an information-seeking self-identity scale and a novel instrument for measuring information need. The main study of a national probability sample (N = 602) evaluated the proposed structural model, tested several hypotheses, and explored several research questions. Both the pilot and main study gathered data via online surveys. Results supported the proposed model (R2 = .62) and several hypotheses. Notably, information-seeking self-identity and past risk information seeking positively predicted seeking intention. Also, the effects of attitudes and norms on seeking intention were stronger among more independent respondents. Finally, in a series of multiple regression analyses, I detailed the roles of involvement and various motivation orientations in each model component. An unexpected finding was that perceived control over seeking did not significantly predict seeking intention. Post-hoc analysis revealed that the strength of the control-intention relationship was—at least with the current sample—inversely related to socioeconomic status (SES), where at higher levels of SES, the importance of perceived control over seeking diminished. / text

Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur pedagoger på förskolan tänker om miljön och materialets betydelse för barns utveckling och lärande. Vi har även tagit reda på hur innemiljön på avdelningarna är uppbyggda, om de är traditionella och ser ut som hemmet eller om de är inspirerande för barnen att experimentera och utforska i miljön. Vi har också tittat på hur materialet används och hur detta är placerat och vilken tillgång barnen har till det. Vi har utgått från det sociokulturella perspektivet i studien, vilket menar att det är pedagogen som organiserar miljön runt barnen och att barnen tar hjälp av sin omgivning för att lära och utvecklas. Vårt empiriska insamlande material har tagits fram via intervjuer och observationer. Pedagogerna som vi intervjuat var från olika avdelningar. Observationerna gjordes genom att gå runt och titta på miljön samt att fotografera det vi ville undersöka extra mycket. Resultatet visade att de flesta tänkte på miljöns betydelse. Det traditionella fanns på förskolorna men med försök till förändringar. Materialet skulle vara synligt för barnen förutom det ”smutsiga och kladdiga”. / The aim of the study was to examine how teachers at the preschool was thinking about the environment and the material's impact on children's development and learning. We also wanted to found out how the indoor environment of the departments is structured, whether they are traditional, they look like the home or if they are inspiring for children to experiment and explore the environment. We also looked at how the material is used and how it is placed and if the children have access to it. We have assumed the socio-cultural perspective in the study, which says that it is the teacher who organizes the environment around the kids and the kids are taking the help of their environment to learn and develop. Our empirical gathering of the materials were developed through interviews and observations. The teachers we interviewed were from different departments. The observations were made by walking around and looking at the environment and we also took photographs of what we wanted to examine extra. The result showed that most preschool teachers thought the environments significance. The traditional environment was found in the kindergarten but with attempts to change it. The material would be visible to the children besides the "dirty and messy."

My essay is about me and my colleagues who have come to realize that maybe we are stuck in old habits when it comes to preschool indoor environment from a gender perspective. The insight has enabled us now face the challenge of how to deal with and move forward with gender issues and the indoor environment. The reviews between us educators differ greatly, making it difficult start of a process of change, or development, of previous work in the preschool. The difficulties of working with gender in preschool is that we do not know how teachers influence or shape the children. We educators controls many times the children, both consciously and unconsciously and sometimes benevolence tend to instead become a takeover. We also want to develop a norm-critical approach to preschool. The dilemma is how it should be done in a natural way as the children in our preschool has homogeneous family situation and we educators do not have enough experience on standard critical perspective. The purpose of my essay is that based on my experience, discuss the pros and cons of striving for a gender-neutral indoor environment. That will I do by highlighting and portray my experiences from when we started the nursery in 2001 and until today in 2013, to gain perspective on the indoor environment. With the help of my own and theoretical reflections, I will look at how working has changed in our workplace, but that we noticed or been aware of it. I want to make impact in how the discussion of gender in preschool has changed over the years. I also want to problematize what is a good or less good indoor environment for children in preschool through a pedagogical approach to the standard critical perspective. Something I want to mention is difficulties that educators face in working with a gender-inspired preschool. My reflective along with my preconceptions, I have lead me to approach the dilemmas that gender norms create in my daily task at the preschool. Through my encounters with colleagues, parents and children. I have reflected on the events that occurred during these meetings. My own reflections and thoughts have provided the basis for this investigation. I have been using a variety of theoretical perspectives to sort my reflections and thoughts. The theories I have used are for example the current curriculum for the Swedish preschool (Lpfö 98/10), as we as literature by Elisabeth Nordin-Hultman and Klara Dolk. My research question is formed with thoughts on how I, along with my work colleagues can create more awareness of the preschool indoor environment from a gender perspective, to develop a gender neutral environment in our preschool. Some obstacles to get further arise from colleagues we have shared opinions about what is good practice. The standard critical perspective is something we are interested in and started to explore, but there have also been new problems to work on. Who and what those difficulties might be and consist of, is something that I raise in my essay. My conclusion is that by letting the kids get more involved in preschool indoor environment from a gender perspective, a common change happen. / Min essä handlar om mig och mina kollegor som har kommit till insikt om att vi kanske har fastnat i gamla vanor när det gäller förskolans inomhusmiljö ur ett genusperspektiv. Insikten har gjort att vi nu står inför en utmaning om hur vi ska hantera och komma vidare med genusfrågor och med inomhusmiljön. Åsikterna mellan oss pedagoger går isär, vilket försvårar igångsättningen av ett förändringsarbete, eller utveckling, av det tidigare arbetet på förskolan. Svårigheterna med att arbeta med genus i förskolan är att vi inte vet hur vi pedagoger påverkar eller formar barnen. Vi pedagoger styr många gånger barnen, både medvetet och omedvetet, och ibland kan välviljan tendera att istället blir ett maktövertagande. Vi vill även utveckla ett normkritiskt arbetssätt på förskolan. Dilemmat är hur det ska ske på ett naturligt sätt när barnen på vår förskola har homogena familjeförhållanden och vi pedagoger inte har tillräckligt med erfarenhet om normkritiska perspektiv. Syftet med min essä är att utifrån mina erfarenheter diskutera för- och nackdelar med att sträva efter en könsneutral inomhusmiljö. Det kommer jag göra genom att lyfta fram och skildra mina erfarenheter från när vi startade upp förskolan år 2001 och fram till idag år 2013, för att få perspektiv på inomhusmiljön. Med hjälp av mina egna och teoretiska reflektioner kommer jag att se över hur arbetssättet har förändrats på vår arbetsplats, utan att vi märkt eller varit medvetna om det. Jag vill göra nedslag i hur diskussionen kring genus på förskolan har förändrats med åren. Jag vill också problematisera vad som är en bra eller mindre bra inomhusmiljö för barn på förskolan ur ett pedagogiskt synsätt när det gäller normkritiska perspektiv. Något jag vill ta upp är svårigheter som pedagoger möter i att arbeta med en genusinspirerad förskola. Min metod har varit reflekterande och tillsammans med min förförståelse har jag försökt närma mig de dilemman som genusnormer skapar. Genom mina möten med kollegor, föräldrar och barn vid förskolan, har jag utgått från och reflekterat kring de händelseförlopp som uppstått under dessa möten. Mina egna reflektioner och tankar har utgjort basen för undersökningen. Jag har med hjälp av olika teoretiska perspektiv, kunnat sortera mina reflektioner och tankar. De teorier jag har utgått från är till exempel läroplanen (Lpfö 98/10), samt litteratur av Elisabeth Nordin-Hultman och Klara Dolk. Min frågeställning handlar om hur jag tillsammans med mina arbetskollegor kan bli mer medvetna om förskolans inomhusmiljö ur ett genusperspektiv, för att utveckla genusarbetet i förskolans miljö. Vissa hinder för att komma vidare uppstår av att vi kollegor har delade åsikter om vad som är bra tillvägagångssätt. Det normkritiska perspektivet är något vi är intresserade av och har börjat utforska, men det har också kommit nya svårigheter att arbeta med. Vilka och vad dessa svårigheter kan vara och bestå i, är något som jag lyfter i min essä. Min slutsats är att genom att låta barnen bli mer delaktiga i förskolans inomhusmiljö ur ett genusperspektiv kan ett gemensamt förändringsarbete ske.

Dampness in the indoor environment have been a major issue of discussion the last decades since more and more people complain about their indoor environment. In the present situation there are difficulties to find what causes people’s discomfort in a damp environment even though there is a strong connection between dampness and human health. The aim of the thesis was to contribute to the work done today to achieve a better indoor environment in damp buildings. The purpose of the work was to evaluate whether the measures issued for dampness in the indoor environment contributes to the improvement of health and environment for those who are living or working in that space. Through a literature review, interview and survey the following three questions were answered to achieve the aim and purpose: How are people affected by the indoor environment in damp buildings? Which are the measures issued to prevent dampness in the indoor environment? Do these interventions contribute to a better indoor environment? How people are affected by the indoor environment in damp buildings and how these problems are prevented were the foundation for the continued work with the survey. The discomforts that are often related to dampness and mould are respiratory symptoms and asthma. In addition symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, nausea and reduced lung capacity are also connected to these problems. The measures that are recommended in prevalence of dampness and mould growth have either the intention to prevent dampness and mould growth in buildings or remove unpleasant odour from the indoor environment. The measures used are cleaning, dehumidification, underpressure, improved ventilation and deconstruction and reconstruction. Furthermore, a survey was conducted where 9 different projects participated where the employees experienced these problems. The result was then divided in two groups where they either had implemented all the measures proposed by specialists or had only implemented some of them. The result of the survey showed that the applied measures contributed to the improvement of the employees health since less people felt the symptoms such as irritation of eyes, nose or throat, dryness of the throat or skin and fatigue, headache or nausea. It was especially noticeable for those who were working at a project were all the measures had been implemented. Recommendations for future investigations in the subject are to study how different measures improve different health problem. Even though the measures appliance are known it is still unknown how they are related to different health problems. / Fuktrelaterade inomhusmiljöproblem har varit en stor diskussionsfråga de senaste decennierna då fler och fler människor klagar på sin inomhusmiljö. I dagsläget finns det svårigheter att hitta vad som orsakar människors upplevda besvär i en fuktig inomhusmiljö. Dock har studier visat att det finns en stark sammankoppling mellan fukt och människors hälsa.  Syftet med examensarbetet är att bidra i det arbete som görs för att uppnå en bättre miljö i byggnader med fuktrelaterade inomhusmiljöproblem. Målet med arbetet är att utvärdera om de åtgärder som utfärdas för fuktrelaterade inomhusmiljöproblem bidrar till en förbättring av miljön för de nyttjande i byggnaden. Genom litteraturstudie, intervjuer och enkät besvarades följande tre frågor för att uppnå mål och syfte:   Hur påverkas människor i byggnader med fuktrelaterade inomhusmiljöproblem? Hur åtgärdas fuktrelaterade inomhusmiljöproblem i byggnader idag? Bidrar dessa åtgärder till en bättre inomhusmiljö för de nyttjande? Fördjupningen av hur människan påverkas av fuktrelaterade inomhusmiljöproblem och vilka åtgärder som tillämpas vid dessa problem var grunden till det fortsatta arbetet med enkätundersökningen. De besvär som oftast relateras till fukt- och mögelproblem är respiratoriska symtom eller astmasymtom. Utöver det kan även symtom så som trötthet, huvudvärk, illamående och minskad lungkapacitet kopplas till dessa problem. De åtgärder som rekommenderas vid förekomsten av dessa besvär har som avsikt att förhindra fukt och mögelpåväxt i byggnader samt att avlägsna avvikande lukt från inomhusmiljön. Åtgärderna som genomförs är rensning, avfuktning, undertryck, förbättrad bostadsventilation samt rivning och återuppbyggnad. Vidare gjordes enkätundersökningen vid nio olika projekt där anställda upplevde hälsobesvär på arbetsplatsen. En indelning gjordes av projekten i två grupper, antingen hade samtliga åtgärder genomförts av de som hade föreslagits av fuktskadeutredare eller så hade endast en del av dem åtgärdats. Resultatet av enkätundersökningen visade att de tillämpade åtgärderna bidrog till att människorna mådde bättre efter att skadorna hade åtgärdats då färre kände av besvär så som irritation i ögon, näsa eller hals, torrhetskänsla i slemhinnor eller hud samt trötthet, huvudvärk eller illamående. Det var framförallt tydligt för de projekt som hade genomfört samtliga åtgärder.   Rekommendation för fortsatt arbete är att studera vilka åtgärder som förbättrar vilka hälsobesvär då åtgärdernas tillämpning är kända men deras koppling till hälsobesvär fortfarande oklara.

Klagomål på damm och smuts i skolmiljöer är vanligt förekommande. Detta arbete syftar till attundersöka hur mycket deponerat damm som finns på olika ytor i skolsalar, hur en professionell städkonsulent bedömer städningen i relation till tekniska mätningar av deponerat damm, hur snabbten yta återsmutsas efter storstädning samt eventuella hälsoeffekter. Vid denna undersökning har vianvänt inomhusenkäten MM060 NA Sp1 för att fånga upp elevernas rapporterade symtom ochupplevelsen av städningen samtmätt deponerat dammmed gelfiltertjep (BM-Dustdetector). Mängden deponerat damm varierar kraftigt mellan olika skolor, sannolikt beroende på varierandepersonbelastning, lokalernas utformning samt städrutiner. Undersökningen ger visst stödför att mängden deponerat dammrelateras till upplevelsen av städkvaliteten men förhållandet bestäms ävenav många andra faktorer. Generellt uppmäts högre halter av deponerat damm på ytor som inte underhållsstädas. Storstädningen reducerar halten av deponerat damm påtagligt men återsmutsningsker snabbare där belastningen och nedsmutsningen är större. Det finns vissa samband mellan hur enprofessionell städkonsulent värderar städningen, främst golvstädningen, och uppmätta halter avdeponerat damm men sambanden är inte särskilt starka. Elever som besväras av ”damm och smuts” samt”instängd (dålig) luft” rapporterar signifikant fler symtom relaterat de icke besvärade. Exponeringför enbart besvärande damm och smuts medför en signifikant ökad frekvens av allmänsymtom, slemhinnesymtom, främst ögonbesvär, samt hudsymtom.Resultatet från denna studie pekar på att man trots alla påverkande faktorer ser en viss hälsoeffekt relativt till förekomst avdamm och smuts. Då cirka var fjärde skolelev bedöms ha någon typ av allergi är det väsentligt attskolmiljön är så ren som möjligt. Förhållandena kan sannolikt förbättras genom en ökad ochförbättrad städning / Complaints about dust in school environments are frequent. This work aims to investigate the amount of dust deposit on different horizontal surfaces in class rooms, how a professional cleaning consultant assesses cleaning in relation to measurements of dust deposit and how quickly a surfacebecomes filthy again after thorough cleaning and health effects. In this investigation we used the questionnaire MM060 NA Sp1 to estimate the students’ symptoms and experience of cleaning andmeasures deposit dust with BM-Dustdetector. The amount of dust deposit varies vastlybetweenschools probablydue to varying number of persons, the geometry of the rooms and cleaningroutines. The investigation supports the idea that the amount of dust deposit relates to the experience of the quality of cleaning but the relation is also dependent of manyother factors. Larger amounts of dust deposit are generally found on surfaces not normally cleaned. Thorough cleaning reduces considerably the dust deposit but it regrows quicklywith high loading of persons. There exist some relations between the association of the cleaning by a professional cleaning consultant, especiallycleaning of the floor, and measured amount of dust deposit but the relations are not very strong.Students complaining of “dust and dirt” and “stuffy, bad air” report significantly more symptoms than the reference group. Exposure to only “dust and dirt” gives more, general symptoms and more mucous membrane and skin symptoms. The results from this study indicate a health effect from “dust and dirt”. One out of four Swedish students have some form of allergies. It is thereforenecessary to have a clean school environment. Presumably good cleaning routines will improve the situation. / <p>ISBN 91-7997-112-1</p>

This graduate work is about didactic issues related to the preschool environment. The study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how the preschool teachers can plan and design the indoor environment to promote children's development and learning. We will also examine how the work of the preschool indoor environment relates to the kindergarten curriculum. This will be examined through qualitative interviews with teachers at a preschool in Botkyrka municipality. The thesis is based on an inductive study method so the theoretical approach has been chosen by the informants' responses. As a complement to the previous research, we have chosen to base our study in Vygotsky's educational psychology to clarify the interactions between the environment and children's development and learning. The informants in our study described, among other things, that their work with preschool indoor environment is based on an environmental document, which is an evolving supplement to the kindergarten curriculum. They create various "corners" or base environments where children can meet and learn from each other. These base environments are designed in the way that they are self-explanatory, that is, the children develop into independent individuals.

Background: The request for the Reggio Emilia practice has expanded enormously the last couple of years within the Swedish preschools. This particular practice describes the environment as a third educator. This third educator is supposed to work as - not only a tool - but also a support to ease children's learning experiences and help develop their mind. Previous research has shown that design of, for instance, furniture has a way of affecting the children's learning process and development. Aims: The purpose of this study is to see how two different teams of preschool educators on two differed Reggio Emilia inspired preschools work and handle the physical indoor environment. Method: We started out by contacting Reggio Emilia inspired preschools. Four educators were chosen from two different preschools to be a part of the research. The interviews were held both in groups but also individually Results: The result of the research indicates that the educators are creating an indoor environment with the children's desires and needs in mind. The educators see the need of having different areas within the indoor environment, so that the children can learn from them and therefore enter a variety of knowledge. The indoor environment is there to facilitate the learning process, supporting children through the process of learning during their time in preschool. During our research we learned that factors plays different roles in affecting the shaping of the indoor environment. Conclusion: The research shows that there are factors that affect the educators’ work and process of creating the preschools physical indoor environment. But according to the educators themselves this is never an excuse for less learning for the children. It’s rather the educator’s duty to find solutions and still make the best indoor environment for the children. It is the educators combined creativity and imagination that creates different possibilities for the children's learning process at the preschool.

The aim of this study is to look at the environmental effect on toddlers’ social interactions during free play in two older and two newer preschools. Furthermore, we would like to investigate four preschool teachers’ thoughts about the indoor environment when it comes to toddlers’ interaction during free play. Qualitative methods containing interviews of the preschool teachers and observations of the children during their free playtime have been used to help us reach our conclusions. In addition, our theoretical conclusions have been derived from both the sociocultural perspective and the environmental psychology perspective. Our results have shown that variations in the preschool environment are of importance in the outcome of toddlers’ different social interactions. Teachers find the indoor environment of great importance and are working with it either with the preschool establishment or independently where time allows. The attitude and approach of preschool teachers on the indoor environment is also of great importance in encouraging positive social interaction in toddlers during free play.

The purpose of this study was to examine some teachers thought about the educational indoor environment in free preschool. With free preschool this study means a Swedish specially adapted to parents/adults and their children and for a typical type of children who are 0-5 years old. Questions to the study were: • How do some teachers in free preschool perceive that they are adapting the preschool indoors environment to children and learning? • How do some teachers in free preschool perceive that they are adapting the preschool indoors environment to children and learning to attract children to the pedagogical environment? In this study I used qualitative methods and interviewed five teachers and preschool indoor environment is observed. I applied the socio cultural perspective to my study. I have come to conclusions that the teachers are generally adapting the environment in some ways to children and learning, although they are not controlled by any guidelines such as läroplanen. I have also come to conclusions that the teachers are actually adapting the environment in some ways to attract children to the pedagogical environment. The teachers are using the material as a method to adapt the pedagogical indoor environment.