Journal of Indoor Environmental Quality

Medical Doctors and Hydronic Radiant Heating Systems.

In 2002 William J, Rea, M.D. published his, “Optimum Environments for Optimum Health & Creativity”, a book we recently featured and now sits on my shelf along with numerous building science and engineering manuals collected over the years. I’ve given the good doctor space because he gave space in his book on something dear to me – that being the role that HVAC systems play in indoor environmental quality and specifically his recommendations for hydronic radiant heating as the best choice for conditioning people and places.

Dr. Rea is a thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon with a strong passion for the environmental aspects of health and disease and Founder of the Environmental Health Center (EHC-D) and he’s not the lone physician when it comes to opining on heating systems. There are numerous professionals in the heath or building sciences that “get” the link between bodies and buildings and their work can be seen in such projects as CHMC’s Healthy House Toronto project or Seattle-Kings County Breathe Easy Homes - both are considered Gold Standards in healthy homes and both use hydronic radiant based HVAC systems.

I find it interesting how healthcare as possibly one of the greatest public relation machines on earth is overlooked by specific sectors within the HVAC industry when medical doctors such as W.J. Rea, S.D. Lockey lll, or A.C. Engler acknowledge radiant heating in their respective practices.

Another physician specializing in respiratory issues is Dr. P. Field who has served as a consultant to Asthma NSW and recognizes that, "radiant heating such as in-ceiling, in-floor or panel wall heaters are preferred as they are less likely to trigger asthma symptoms." This is echoed in a physician reviewed recommendation from The Children's Hospital at the Anschutz Medical Campus in their ‘Creating an Asthma-Safe Home’ they suggest when, “purchasing a home, consider buying one with baseboard or radiant heating.”

One of the best summaries I’ve found on low temperature hydronic radiant heating and indoor environments comes from, “The Health, Safety and Comfort Advantages of Low Temperature Heating Systems - A Literature Review” published from the Healthy Buildings Conference in August 2000. In a nutshell the report supports the sentiment found amongst allergists and other medical doctors.

Although I would strongly caution anyone making the leap that hydronic radiant heating improves people’s health it is safe to say that indoor environments using radiant based HVAC systems are recognized by some physicians as significant contributors to a healthier home. This has a strong appeal to two powerful decision makers - that being older adults and mothers.

My council to the various hydronic industry groups is this:

1. Recognize that marketing and public relations efforts directed on using the features and benefits of efficiency and comfort are ultimately trumped by health concerns...and as continually demonstrated by Readers Digest annual survey, consumers ultimately have far more confidence in the words of the healthcare worker than words from the trades person or home builder.
2. Find a way to work with the healthcare industry to communicate to consumers that radiant based HVAC systems do contribute to healthier homes.

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.

Learn more about the complete definition of Radiant Based HVAC

Sources:

1. http://www.ehcd.com/books/home_building_designing.html
2. http://www.asthmansw.org.au/assets/146/File/AsthmaMatters_Winter01_LRes.pdf
3. http://www.rockymountainchildrens.org/wellness/info/parents/39154.aspx
4. http://www.readersdigest.ca/specialfeatures/trustsurvey/cms/xcms/top-jobs--the-professions-we-trust-most_3733_a.html

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.

ASHRAE Technology Awards Highlight Outstanding Building Projects

ORLANDO, Fla.–Designers of systems for two office buildings, a warehouse and college library are recognized by ASHRAE for incorporating elements of innovative building design.

First place recipients of the ASHRAE Technology Awards were recognized at the Society’s 2010 Winter Conference, held this week in Orlando, Fla. The recipients have applied ASHRAE standards for effective energy management.

The first place winners in their respective categories are:

1.    The Terry Thomas (Michael Hedrick, Thomas Marseille, P.E. and Long Lam; Stantec Consulting; Seattle, Wash)

2.    Sobey’s Warehouse (Martin Roy, P.Eng.; Martin Roy et Associés, Inc.; Deux-Montagnes, Québec, Canada)

3.    IDeAs Design Facility (Peter Rumsey, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE; Rumsey Engineers; Oakland, Calif)

4.    The Richard J. Klarcheck Information Commons Building (Donald McLauchlan, P.E., Steven Maze and David Lavan; Elara Energy Services, Inc.; Hillside, Ill.)

For further information on these projects contact:

Amanda Dean
Public Relations
678-539-1216
adean (at) ashrae.org

RBc: Congratulations to the winners and of special note is the use of hydronics and floor heating in all the outstanding building projects.

 

Supportive Living Environments For Those Living With Dementia

Very little research exists on creating thermal comfort for seniors or those with physical and/or mental disabilities.

“Supportive living environments: A first concept of a dwelling designed for older adults with dementia” by J.V. Hoof and H.S.M. Kort in the August issue of Dementia is an excellent overview of challenges facing both the occupant living with dementia and designer responsible for these spaces. 

Excerpt: “People with dementia may have special needs regarding thermal comfort and the design and implementation of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, since older adults with dementia have a different perception of their thermal environment due to the atrophy of parts of the brain that are responsible for the perception of thermal sensation (van Hoof, 2008; van Hoof et al., 2008a). To provide occupants with a sense of comfort with the thermal environment, temperature differences within the home should not be too large. Floor heating systems are very suitable, since one does not get hurt by wall panels in case of falls.”

Original source: Dementia, published by SAGE Publications 

See also: In Search of a Common European Approach to a Healthy Indoor Environment and The Health, Safety and Comfort Advantages of Low Temperature Heating Systems - A Literature Review

What is PassivHaus?

What is PassivHaus? In Building Science Corporations feature article this month, John Straube looks at the PassivHaus criteria and makes a comparison to low-energy prototype houses build as part of the US Department of Energy's Building America research program.

RBc: I graduated from N.A.I.T.’s Building Construction Engineering Technology program in 1983 which means I was studying the developments from the 70’s Saskatchewan Conservation House, sat in on a 1981 presentation on vanEE’s air to air heat exchanger, studied double wall framing techniques, radiant heating and solar systems, saw the beginnings of the 1980’s R2000 housing program in Canada, and wrote a paper on a then unknown technique of spraying gunite on insulated block walls to form an airtight insulated building envelope.

HRV/ERV’s and Passivhaus are getting so much buzz on the internet and yet as Straube points out, the Passivhaus concept was inspired by the work of SRC and Canada’s National Research Council and it’s 1977 Saskatchewan Conservation House. Yes...everything old is new again and almost 30 years have passed since graduating and outside of us old guys who know the past, the internet is buzzing about these things like they are the new holy grails about to save the world.

I grew up in Saskatchewan and have been to the Saskatchewan Conservation House. The house wasn’t built to save the world it was built because it is freaking cold here in Canada and energy was becoming expensive and igloo construction in Saskatchewan wasn’t a good alternate since it gets freaking hot in Saskatchewan in the summer...On the other hand all those melted igloos could have been converted to hockey rinks in the winter…hmmm.

30 plus years later it still gets cold in Canada and the reason for high performance homes is still the same...most of us building fanatics from the 70's and 80's feel like we're living Bill Murray's life in Groundhog Day

Read Dr. John Straube article on PassivHaus – reality checks are always a good thing.

Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center Earns a Rare 11 of 10 Points for Optimized Energy Performance

Building design utilizes high-tech computational fluid dynamics analysis of low-tech passive solar Trombe walls

ASHEVILLE, N.C., Jan. 12, 2009 – Lord, Aeck & Sargent announced today that in awarding LEED®1 (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification to the Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center in the category of new construction, the U.S. Green Building Council gave the project the maximum 10 points in the category of optimized energy performance, plus an additional point for exceeding the maximum (60 percent) energy savings tracked for this credit.

The project tracked a 75 percent improvement in energy performance over a code-compliant base building.

RBc: We featured this project prior to it receiving this achievement. A great application of design principles resulting in outstanding performance.

Read more about this outstanding project.

Building knowledge for a sustainable tomorrow - Construct Canada

Uponor Seminar Series Building knowledge for a sustainable tomorrow.

Date: December 4, 2008 Time: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Room 802 T, in conjunction with Construct Canada.

RSVP, visit www.uponorrsvp.ca and sign up.

The deadline to RSVP is November 28, 2008.

Are you interested in hearing from Canada’s foremost leaders in sustainability, hydronics and fire safety? Uponor is bringing these experts together under one roof in the inaugural Uponor Seminar Series. This must-attend industry event will feature discussions on:

• Some of the emerging trends in sustainable construction presented by John Godden:

John Godden brings more than 20 years of experience to the table as a designer/hands-on builder, working on projects that include the "Clearsphere" CHBC EnviroHome. A graduate of the Bachelor of Environmental Studies program at the University of Waterloo, he is heavily involved in the R2000, ENERGY STAR, EnerGuide and CMHC Healthy Home programs. John dedicates his time and experience to improving the quality of energy efficiency, air quality and building practices throughout the home building industry. John is currently working with twenty Greater Toronto Area builders who are constructing LEED model homes.

• The impacts of radiant-based HVAC systems on sustainability presented by Robert Bean.

Robert Bean is a registered engineering technologist in the field of building construction engineering. He is an avid student of industrial design (the way things look) and indoor environmental ergonomics (the way things feel). In 2007, Robert was selected as a distinguished lecturer for the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers speaking on the Human Factor in HVAC, Radiant-based HVAC Systems and Snow Melting Systems. He is the editor for The Journal of Indoor Environmental Quality, and www.healthyheating.com, a not-for-profit website on anthropology, architecture and indoor environmental ergonomics.

• How an effective residential fire safety system can provide homeowners with a safe and sustainable home presented by John Caruso.

John Caruso is the Chief Fire Prevention Officer for the City of Vaughan. John has been involved in fire service for 23 years, spending 21 of those years in fire suppression. He is also the Community Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of Vaughan.

Radiant Panel Association REX 2008 Slides Available

Thanks to the Larry and the entire staff from the Radiant Panel Association and to the attendees of the 2008 Radiant Exhibition held in Chicago, Il. It was another wonderfully warming event!

Slides for the conference are noted below.

Sustainable Construction Practices

Making Radiant Systems Simple and Affordable

Be sure to visit the Radiant Panel Association, where you can find all kinds of resources on panel heating and cooling.

Encore - Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center

Photo Credit: © Jonathan Hillyer/Atlanta

As promised, we've created an entire page at www.healthyheating.com to share some outstanding architectural and mechanical features of an award winning LEED building.

Special thanks to Anne Taylor of Lord, Aeck & Sargent Architecture and Ann Kohut of Kohut Communications for allowing us to share the details of this project with our readers. 

The entire press release, project photos and contact information at this link - click here.

Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center

Photo  Credit: Lord, Aeck & Sargent Architecture

"The building itself reflects the cutting edge of energy saving technology. Constructed to LEED certification standards (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), it features active/passive heating and cooling, radiant floor heating, a "green" roof and other energy efficient features. According to Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Philip Francis "We are excited that in addition to orienting visitors to the region and Parkway, the structure exemplifies natural resources stewardship for the long term." Excerpt from Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center Opens December 17, 2007, Blue Ridge Parkway Guide News.

RBc: Award winning Lord, Aeck & Sargent Architecture is a great site to learn about LEED projects like the Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center. We'll be featuring more on this firm and project in upcoming months.