Journal of Indoor Environmental Quality

The story behind energy, entropy, efficiency, exergy and efficacy

We just released our long awaited simplified summary of energy, entropy, efficiency, exergy and efficacy based on our brand new presentation on sustainability and early feedback from industry leaders has been great. It’s all consolidated into a single web page – written of course in basic easy to understand language and linked back to numerous pages within the www.healthyheating.com website.

If you missed the HRAI of Canada’s annual general meeting in Kananaskis, Alberta, saw the sustainability slides posted earlier but wanted the descriptive language – well now you have it.

Also be sure to check out our updated Indoor Air Quality presentation, Inspecting Hydronic Systems and Skill Sets slides from the Canadian Hydronic Council meeting held in the spring.

Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

There’s cause for celebration today on the Gulf Coast. The celebration is for a research and education center on the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), which was just awarded LEED Gold certification and is the first state government-owned LEED project in Mississippi.

Back in August 2005, the site of the building, called the Grand Bay Coastal Resources Center, was covered in 10-foot-high floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina. But that didn’t stop the design of the facility, which supports the NERR’s charter to promote stewardship of coastal resources – among them several rare plant and animal species as well as numerous commercial and recreational fish species – via an integrated program of research, long-term monitoring, training and education.

The $7 million, 20,000-square-foot Center, which opened in December 2009, is a green demonstration facility that teaches through its architecture what sustainable design is about and shows how land can be developed responsibly in sensitive areas.

You can read more about the Grand Bay Coastal Resources Center – designed by Lord, Aeck & Sargent in collaboration with Studio South Architects at this link: http://pitchengine.com/pitch/80457

Annie Kohut | Kohut Communications Consulting
(tel) 770-913-9747 | (cell) 404-786-6062 (fax) 770-913-3197 | annielk(at)bellsouth.net www.kohutcommunications.com
Follow me at http://twitter.com/kohutcomm

RBc: “…green demonstration facility that teaches through its architecture what sustainable design is about…” this is a Yoda moment…not try - DO

see Yoda wisdom http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE8PieLJttY&feature=related - fast forward to time 4:10 - 4:35

World of Warmth

This week we’re featuring the works of Arno Vlooswijk , an industry colleague whom I have had the privilege of corresponding with over the years. Arno is from the Netherlands and specializes in thermography…but we’re not talking your basic everyday stuff…Arno has taken the application of thermographic images into an arena few have ventured before - spanning the range from video to large scale bulletin boards featuring our everyday world and the wild kingdom. Through his view of the world from a thermographic camera, Arno has also given much thought about mankind and has this to say about the thermoregulation system of people… “Buildings and installations should support this system, not take it over completely.” We couldn’t agree more.

He has a number of websites related to his passions (see below) and also a publisher of iPhone apps…you should make some time to see what he’s doing…it's very enlightening.

• www.worldofwarmth.com
• www.treesforgrannies.com
• www.nutscode.eu

Also be sure to check our site pages on using thermography with radiant based HVAC systems.

• http://www.healthyheating.com/Radiant_Thermography/Radiant_Thermography2.htm
• http://www.healthyheating.com/Radiant_Thermography.htm

Next week we'll be covering another fine project from Lord, Aeck & Sargent and featuring Greg Stockton from Stockton Infrared who has literally taken infrared imaging to new heights.

Tips from Rosalind Dall

As readers know we typically feature documents and resources that are associated with research institutes or professional design firms. This week however we’re going to feature Rosalind Dall who contacted us with this message;

“Hi, My name is Rosalind and I'm one of healthyheating.com readers. I'd like to thank you for the excellent information I've found on healthyheating.com, it's one of my favorite readings on the web. I live in Florida where I have the passion to share with family and friends some tips to increase awareness on energy efficiency and promote a healthier indoor air quality. I figured you might be interested in including a guest article for healthyheating.com about a new research from the Purdue University that promises the opportunity to reduce AC heating bills by 50%.”

Well the information Rosalind speaks of from Purdue is interesting stuff as are the additional tips she provides in her writings over at her blog http://www.ductlessairconditioners.org

Rosalind joins our list of influential women we’ve featured here at the JIEQ who are making a difference one blog at a time.

Thanks for writing in Rosalind.

RB

See Rosalind's article in our guest editorial section and at her blog.

Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease

Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease An Update to the Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Abstract Excerpt: In 2004, the first American Heart Association scientific statement on "Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease" concluded that exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution contributes to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In the interim, numerous studies have expanded our understanding of this association and further elucidated the physiological and molecular mechanisms involved.

The main objective of this updated American Heart Association scientific statement is to provide a comprehensive review of the new evidence linking PM exposure with cardiovascular disease, with a specific focus on highlighting the clinical implications for researchers and healthcare providers.

RBc: “…exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution contributes to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.” Once again environments can be hurtful or healing – you have little control over the outdoor conditions but you do have a choice over your indoor environment.

See our previous comments on homes as miniature health care facilities and the need to reposition elements of architecture such as interior design and HVAC as part of the healthcare industry and removed out from under the control of the construction industry.

Learn more about: Particulate Matter, Allergens , Sneezing 

Air Pollution and Seniors

Air Pollution and Seniors - A Health and Air Quality Bulletin from Health Canada

Further to our post below on Blueprints for Senior Living July 2010 Edition, we bring your attention to a Health and Air Quality Bulletin from Health Canada.

Excerpt: If you are a senior, air pollution could have a negative impact on your health. This is because seniors are more likely than other adults to have health problems such as heart and lung disease. You can better protect yourself when you know that air pollution affects your health.

For more details download this docuement: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/alt_formats/hecs-sesc/pdf/pubs/air/seniors-personne_agees-eng.pdf

Also, published recently from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Survey: Healthy Aging The Canadian Community Health Survey focuses on the health of Canadians aged 45 and over by examining the various factors that have an impact on healthy aging, such as general health and well being, the use of health care services, social participation, and work and retirement transitions. The data were collected from December 2008 to November 2009, and about 30,900 individuals aged 45 years and older in the provinces were interviewed. The data are now available through the Statistics Canada website:
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/100512/dq100512f-eng.htm

Blueprints for Senior Living July 2010 Edition

Just released by the AIA Design for Aging Knowledge Community: Blueprints for Senior Living 07/10 edition

The mission of the AIA Design for Aging Knowledge Community (DFA) is to foster design innovation and disseminate knowledge necessary to enhance the built environment and quality of life for an aging society. This includes relevant research on characteristics, planning, and costs associated with innovative design for aging. In addition, DFA provides outcome data on the value of these design solutions and environments.

For more information about the Design for Aging please contact your local chapter or the Design for Aging Advisory Group. More information can be found on www.aia.org/dfa or www.aiadesignforaging.org.

RBc: We've been a big fan of this group for the insight and creativity they bring to this very special topic. A highly recommended resource worthy of your support.

See our pages on Design for Aging and be sure to read the abstract titled, "Supportive living environments: A first concept of a dwelling designed for older adults with dementia."

Differences between Young Adults and Elderly in Thermal Comfort, Productivity, and Thermal Physiology

Differences between young adults and elderly in thermal comfort, productivity, and thermal physiology in response to a moderate temperature drift and a steady-state condition

Overview/edited excerpt: Results from naturally ventilated buildings show that allowing the indoor temperature to drift does not necessarily result in thermal discomfort and may allow for a reduction in energy use. However, for stationary conditions, several studies indicate that the thermal neutral temperature and optimum thermal condition differ between young adults and elderly.

In this study, the effect of a moderate temperature drift on physiological responses, thermal comfort, and productivity of eight young adults (age 22–25 year) and eight older subjects (age 67–73 year) was investigated. They were exposed to two different conditions and the results indicate that thermal sensation of the elderly was, in general, 0.5 scale units lower in comparison with their younger counterparts. Furthermore, the elderly showed more distal vasoconstriction during both conditions.

Practical Implications

Because the stock of fossil fuels is limited, energy savings play an important role. Thermal comfort is one of the most important performance indicators to successfully apply measures to reduce the energy need in buildings. Allowing drifts in indoor temperature is one of the options to reduce the energy demand. This study contributes to the knowledge concerning the effects of a moderate temperature drift and the age of the inhabitants on their thermal comfort.

Published in the International Journal of Indoor environment and Health on behalf of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate, April 2010

RBc: This document does an effective job in pointing out the differences between age groups as it relates to indoor environments and the corresponding physiological and psychological responses to temperature changes.

We have said before that the traditional run of the mill contractor built home was/is constructed for the youth and not the elderly and yet it will be the elderly that someday will occupy these homes.

We have pointed out before that residential homes will become miniture healthcare centers for the elderly and have asked, “if we know a home will be operated as a miniature healthcare center why don’t we build it as such?” What does this mean? It means designing to healthcare standards with better ventilation and thermal comfort systems…instead of budgeting a meager 5% of construction costs on HVAC it means you have to spend 15%.

5% gets you bottom of the barrel minimum requirements…15% gets you into healthcare standards.

Read our past article in AIA’s, Blueprints for Senior Living, called, “The Human Element in Design for Aging” Additional reading includes:

1. Cortical, thalamic, and hypothalamic responses to cooling and warming the skin in awake humans: A positron-emission tomography study
2. Homes are miniature healthcare facilities
3. The Cost of HVAC Systems - Are You Paying Too Much for Downgrades?
4. The Total Comfort System - The "Un-minimum" System

 

Do LEED-Certified Green Buildings Protect Human Health?

Hartford, Conn., May 25, 2010—Do “green” buildings protect human health from environmental hazards?

The answer is “not necessarily,” according to a new report released today by Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI), titled “LEED Certification: Where Energy Efficiency Collides With Human Health.”

EHHI is a non-profit organization composed of doctors, public health professionals and policy experts who specialize in research that examines environmental threats to human health.

LEED Standards Are Being Adopted into Many Laws

Green Building Council standards are being incorporated into federal, state and local laws through legislation, executive orders, resolutions, policies, loan-granting criteria and tax credits. As demonstrated in this report, LEED standards are clearly insufficient to protect human health, yet they are being adopted by many levels of government as law. Thus the Green Building Council, a trade association for the building industry, is effectively structuring the regulations. The number of jurisdictions adopting these standards as law is growing, which will make them difficult if not impossible to change, unless federal law and regulation supersede the “green” standards with health-protective regulations.

Read: LEED Certification Where Energy Efficiency Collides with Human Health, An EHHI Report

RBc: Last week one of our readers suggested we list Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI) on our blog on environmental health. The report is another reason for people to understand the total definition of IEQ and specifically the relationships between bodies and buildings.

Also as we said last week: Study our slides on The Human Factors in HVAC and understand why we feel strongly that elements of architecture such as building enclosures, interior design and HVAC need to be removed out from under the world of construction and be repositioned within the healthcare industry.

Plus make note of our recent post where we provide advice related to the trust consumers place in the words of healthcare workers vs those of the trades, general contractors and developers. 

Health trumps energy everytime (Bud Offermann)...Again for the millionth time - your building can be therapeutic or threatening – it’s your choice.

Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality

The 2010 edition of Standard 62.1, Ventilation for acceptable Indoor Air Quality, and the 2010 edition of Standard 62.2, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings are now available in the ASHRAE Bookstore (http://www.ashrae.org/publications/page/1279)

The 2010 edition of both documents combine the 2007 versions with approved and published addenda thereby providing easy-to-use consolidated standards.

The history of the standards originates from the first publication in 1973 as Standard 62. Both 62.1 and 62.2 are updated on a regular basis using ASHRAE’s continuous maintenance procedures. According to these procedures, Standard 62.1 and 62.2 are continuously revised by addenda that are publicly reviewed, approved by ASHRAE and ANSI, and published in a Supplement approximately 18 months after each new edition of the standard, or in a new, complete edition of the standard, published every three years.

These two standards are utilized worldwide often referenced in building codes and regional standards including such influential programs as Energy Star.

See: ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes 2011 Inspection Checklists http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/bldrs_lenders_raters/downloads/InspectionChecklists.pdf

If you’re in the business of indoor environmental quality these updated resources are for you.

For further information on indoor air quality see these links:

1. http://www.healthyheating.com/Thermal_Comfort_Working_Copy/Definitions/humidity.htm
2. http://www.healthyheating.com/Definitions/Particulate_matter.htm
3. http://www.healthyheating.com/IAQ/IAQ_animation.htm
4. http://www.healthyheating.com/IAQ/IAQ_animation_lungs.htm