Journal of Indoor Environmental Quality

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 

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

Glazed Over – Raising the Awareness to Improve Building Enclosures

Journal of Building Enclosure Design - Current Issue

Excerpt:  “In my message to you in the Summer 2009 issue of Journal of Building Enclosure Design, I discussed the need to raise awareness to improve building enclosures. I outlined several examples in that article, such as recognizing David Altenhofen for his efforts to establish Building Enclosure Councils (BECs) throughout the country, the work Congressman Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) is doing to bring awareness to the issue of high-performing buildings, the programs held at the 12th Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology, and the December 2009 Ecobuild America Conference held in Washington, D.C.

Each of these examples addressed a consistent theme: education. These examples all focused on the need to improve our knowledge base to better utilize the latest technology to advance our building systems and to gain greater return on our investments. Investing in education is money well spent.”Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA, President, National Institute of Building Sciences

Visit the National Institute of Building Sciences and download the Journal of Building Enclosure Design

RBc: Henry gets it right with, “Investing in education is money well spent.”

Somehow clients and architects need to get beyond interior and exterior aesthetics as primary driving forces in form. Why? Because there is piling up of discouraged engineers and building scientists who despite their best efforts face a constant battle over enclosures and systems attributable to what is wrongly perceived as high fee’s related to the design and management of comfortable, healthy and energy efficient structures.

Remember sustainability is branch of philosophy and there is still significant philosophical conflicts occurring between what is scientifically right (engineers, architects and interior designers) and what creative enclosure gets built (architects, interior designers and clients).

Education brings awareness to the issue of high-performing buildings but as we have all experienced, having the knowledge means nothing unless it is applied/ executed in practice.

For further commentary on this topic read:

Are you paying too much for down grades?

Radiant Based HVAC - Starts with the architecture.

Manitoba Hydro Place - A New Benchmark for Cold Climate Buildings

I’ve had the opportunity to tour a number of great projects already this year and the latest is Winnipeg’s own - Manitoba Hydro Place.

After three days of presenting the HRAI of Canada’s Indoor Air Quality Awareness program I'd have to say it is by far one of the most comfortable buildings I’ve had the pleasure of teaching in…in fact one of the most striking difference was experienced during our tour of the mechanical rooms which were extremely clean, quiet and cool – a stark contrast to the loud, dirty and hot rooms typically found in buildings across America.

I took numerous photo’s while there and have shared a few here in the blog. (t) Solar chimney, (m) Geothermal manifold, (b) Solar chimney against the smoke stack from the old power plant – my how times have changed!

A big thanks to industry colleague Rob Andrushuk, C.Tech., Mechanical Systems Specialist with Manitoba Hydro for hosting the IAQ course and for arranging the top to bottom tour and to Mark Pauls, B.Sc., EIT, Building Energy Engineer for the pre-tour presentation and walk around…outstanding!

Suggested links:
Project description and history: GreenSource, March Issue
Technical paper: Manitoba Hydro Place, Integrated Design Process Exemplar (PLEA2009 - 26th Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Quebec City, Canada, 22-24 June 2009)  

To learn more the concepts used in this project visit these links:

Radiant Cooling

Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems

Indoor Environmental Quality with Radiant Based HVAC System

West Florida’s new School of Science and Engineering

PENSACOLA, Fla., April 26, 2010 – Some 1,000 undergraduates began taking science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) classes this Spring semester at the University of West Florida’s new School of Science and Engineering.

The $30.6 million state-funded building embodies the principles of Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL), an advocate in the United States for building and sustaining strong undergraduate STEM programs by transforming the learning environment.

Designed by architecture firm Lord, Aeck & Sargent, the four-story, 94,719-square-foot building is an energy and water-efficient structure that is targeting LEED silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Full news release and photos of the Science and Engineering Building

Image credit: © 2010 Richard Leo Johnson/Atlantic Archives, Inc.

For further information contact:
Anne Taylor Carros, Lord, Aeck & Sargent, 404-253-6710, acarros(@)lasarchitect.com, or
Ann Kohut, Kohut Communications Consulting, 770-913-9747, annielk(@)bellsouth.net, www.kohutcommunications.com or http://twitter.com/kohutcomm 

RBc: Our favorite line from Leo ter Haar, director of the School of Science and Engineering is, “What I like best about the building is the way it’s designed more around people…”. As readers know we're big supporters of this design approach as it has repeatedly demonstrated that it results in healthier more efficient buildings.

Congrats again to Lord, Aeck & Sargent for another great project.

Government of Canada's Hazardcheck Guide

OTTAWA - The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced the launch of a campaign to help make Canadian families more aware of the environmental health risks around them.

The four-year public education campaign is part of the Government of Canada's commitment to environmental health. "Our government is working to help keep Canadian families safer," said Minister Aglukkaq. "As part of this campaign I'm pleased to introduce Hazardcheck, a guide that provides simple advice that parents can take to keep their homes safer and healthier for themselves and their children". Environmental hazards can be present in the air, water, soil or in your home. They can be inhaled or ingested or absorbed through the skin. Children are especially vulnerable to environmental hazards.

Hazardcheck includes specific advice on ways to protect our most vulnerable populations. The Guide builds on Government of Canada efforts to raise awareness of such issues as consumer product safety, so that Canadians can better understand and act to reduce the health risks around them. The Hazardcheck campaign directly supports and builds on the Government of Canada's Chemicals Management Plan and Clean Air Agenda.

For a free copy of Hazardcheck, please visit:
www.HealthyCanadians.gc.ca/Hazardcheck  or call 1-800-O-Canada.

RBc: This is a great consumer piece and a recommended read for those wishing to improve your indoor environments. For those wishing to expand your knowledge you may want to consider enrolling in the HRAI of Canada IAQ Awareness Program offered across the country. Contact HRAI of Canada.

For a background study in IAQ see these links:
http://www.healthyheating.com/Definitions/sneeze.htm
http://www.healthyheating.com/Definitions/pollen.htm
http://www.healthyheating.com/IAQ/IAQ_animation.htm
http://www.healthyheating.com/IAQ/IAQ_animation_lungs.htm
http://www.healthyheating.com/Definitions/Particulate_matter.htm

The Power in Integration – A Must Read Proposed Guideline from ASHRAE

ASHRAE Guideline Addresses Interactions Affecting Indoor Environmental Quality

ATLANTA – A proposed guideline, currently out for public comment, would provide guidance on achieving good indoor environments by considering the interactions of air quality and thermal conditions as well as lighting and acoustics.

ASHRAE Guideline 10P, Interactions Affecting the Achievement of Acceptable Indoor Environments, calls attention to many interactions that designers might not have previously recognized or understood. The guideline opened for public comment on April 9 and remains open until May 24.

“The guideline summarizes what research and experience have taught us about the complex interplay of the wide range of factors that determine occupants’ reactions to the buildings they inhabit,” Hal Levin, chair of the committee writing the guideline, said.

Levin explains that the guideline is intended to help users understand and use existing documents that deal with indoor environments, including the ASHRAE standards related to ventilation and indoor air quality and thermal conditions with a more complete understanding of the impacts of the indoor environmental on occupants. “It can provide assistance to building design professionals and building operators by making them aware of the major interactions that have the potential to impact the indoor environment,” he said. “We believe the guideline will help draw attention to the narrowly-defined scopes of the widely-used standards and the significance of interactive effects in determining the acceptability of an indoor environment.”

The draft of Guideline 10P is available for comment only during its public review period. To read the guideline or to comment, visit www.ashrae.org/publicreviews.

For further information contact: Jodi Scott, Public Relations, 678-539-1140, jscott(at)ashrae.org

RBc: As stated in the forward, “This guideline is intended to help people understand and use all of the documents that deal with indoor environments, such as ASHRAE Standard 62.1, Standard 62.2, Standard 55 and the ASHRAE Indoor Air Quality Guide, as a whole rather than separately. The guideline focuses on thermal conditions, indoor air quality (IAQ), and the interactions between these environmental conditions as they affect the acceptability of the indoor environment. In addition, but to a lesser extent, it also addresses mechanical energy (including noise and vibration) and electromagnetic radiation (including environmental lighting, ultraviolet and infrared radiation) as additional sources of interactions affecting the acceptability of the indoor environment as well as limitations that exist in the ability to achieve acceptability.”

We encourage readers to visit the ASHRAE site to review and comment on this document.

For a back ground study we suggest reading these pages. http://www.healthyheating.com/Defintion_of_indoor_environmental_quality.htm
http://www.healthyheating.com/Thermal_Comfort_Working_Copy/IAQ_ICQ_IEQ.htm http://www.healthyheating.com/Human_Factors/Human_Factors.htm
http://www.healthyheating.com/Definitions/facts_about_skin.htm http://www.healthyheating.com/Thermal_Comfort_Working_Copy/HH_physiology_intro.htm

Also view our ASHRAE lecture on The Human Factors in HVAC Systems

Thermally Active Surfaces in Architecture

Excerpt: “Departing from the simple question Why do we heat and cool buildings with air?, this book focuses on the technique of thermally active surfaces. This technique uses water in building surfaces to heat and cool bodies - a method that is at once more efficient, comfortable, and healthy. This technique thus imbues the fabric of the building with a more poignant role: its structure is also its primary heating and cooling system. In doing so, this approach triggers a cascading set of possibilities for how well buildings are built, how well they perform, and how long they will last: pointing the way toward multiple forms of sustainability.” Source: Princeton Architectural Press

Learn more here: http://www.papress.com/html/book.details.page.tpl?isbn=9781568988801

RBc: I’ve just reviewed this new addition to our library of recommended reading for design professionals. Author Kiel Moe is an Assistant Professor of Architecture at the Northeastern University School of Architecture and has done an outstanding job illustrating the benefits of thermally active surfaces. We have been preaching thermally activated building systems (TABS) for many years and we’re pleased to see a section in this new resource from www.healthyheating.com contributor Geoff McDonell, B.Sc., P.Eng., LEED™ Ap. For more articles from Geoff use the search feature above.

The quality of this book is equal to any higher education text book on architecture, structural design, interior design and HVAC engineering with outstanding easy to understand graphics. We especially appreciate the inclusion of design details from numerous TABS projects from around the world.

A must have for the student or design professional.

Department of Defense to Break Ground on Hazardous Material Response Facility

The Department of Defense will break ground this month on a $12.5 million Hazardous Material Response Facility (HMRF) targeting LEED Silver certification.

When completed in summer 2011, the new two-story building will house laboratory, storage, training, and administrative spaces. It will be home to members of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA), a DoD agency charged with protecting the Pentagon Reservation and other DoD-occupied facilities in the National Capital Region.

The design/build team of architecture firm Lord, Aeck & Sargent and construction firm The Christman Company was selected from among four shortlisted teams to design and construct the HMRF.

You can read more about the HMRT and its sustainable design features in the attached news release.

For further information contact:

Anne Taylor Carros, Lord, Aeck & Sargent, 404-253-6710, acarros(@)lasarchitect.com , or
Ann Kohut, Kohut Communications Consulting, 770-913-9747, annielk(@)bellsouth.net, www.kohutcommunications.com or http://twitter.com/kohutcomm

Renderings courtesy of courtesy of Lord, Aeck & Sargent.

RBc: This project represents an underlying theme with LEED based projects; practical structures, design build construction process, use of recycled materials, regionally sourced goods, high performance windows and proper management of solar loads.

First of its kind collaboration designed to boost critical green building practices across the country

First of its kind collaboration designed to boost critical green building practices across the country ICC, ASHRAE, USGBC and IES Announce Nation’s First Set of Model Codes and Standards for Green Building in the U.S.

The International Code Council (ICC), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) announced the launch of the International Green Construction Code (IGCC), representing the merger of two national efforts to develop adoptable and enforceable green building codes. The IGCC provides the building industry with language that both broadens and strengthens building codes in a way that will accelerate the construction of high performance green buildings across the U.S. On Monday, March 15, ASHRAE, IES and USGBC will join ICC at its Washington, DC headquarters as they and their co-authors (the American Institute of Architects and the American Society for Testing Materials) launch the IGCC. On Monday, Standard 189 .1 and the IGCC will be available for wide distribution, providing much-needed content, code language, and vision for more safe and sustainable future.

For more information on IGCC: http://www.intlcode.org/cs/IGCC/Pages/default.aspx and on Standard 189.1: www.ashrae.org/greenstandard.

See also:
International Code Council (ICC) www.intlcode.org 
U.S. Green Building Council www.usgbc.org 
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers www.ashrae.org 
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) www.ies.org.

For further information contact: Contact: Jodi Scott, Public Relations, 678-539-1140,
jscott(at)ashrae.org

RBc: There is power in collaboration – and this is a great example of what organizations with a common vision can achieve. If Peter Drucker were alive today he would be applauding this outstanding effort.