Occupant Interactions and Effectiveness of Natural Ventilation Strategies in Contemporary New Housing in Scotland, UK
- Submitting institution
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Glasgow School of Art
- Unit of assessment
- 32 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
- Output identifier
- 3810
- Type
- D - Journal article
- DOI
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10.3390/ijerph120708480
- Title of journal
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Article number
- -
- First page
- 8480
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 7
- ISSN
- 1660-4601
- Open access status
- Out of scope for open access requirements
- Month of publication
- July
- Year of publication
- 2015
- URL
-
-
- Supplementary information
-
-
- Request cross-referral to
- -
- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
- -
- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
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4
- Research group(s)
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-
- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- The ‘natural ventilation strategies’ are dependent on occupants’ usage of open windows, or otherwise open trickle-vent slots, coupled with ventilation pathways between rooms and other sources of extract such as kitchen and bathroom fans; ‘effectiveness’ constituting the research question apropos ‘indoor air quality’ (IAQ), this ascertained using CO2 as a proxy. The method involved questionnaires from 200 householders, with 40 of these agreeing to detailed monitoring.
The focus of the latter was on bedrooms and results showed that only those who left windows ajar overnight achieved satisfactory CO2 values (<1,000ppm), the average reliant solely on trickle ventilation averaging 1,550-2000ppm; this corresponding for all 40 homes with less than 8 litres per second per person (l/s.p), an accepted minimum for IAQ, and 40% with a very low rate.
Dissemination was initially (2014) to the Scottish Government (Building Standards Division), who commissioned the work, its emphasis on ‘occupier influence’ rather than ‘effectiveness’, and thereafter (2015) as this journal article and later seminars/workshops (e.g. via ‘Health Effects of Modern Airtight Construction’ multidisciplinary network) and international IAQ conferences.
The article’s key contribution lies in challenging regulatory complacency around domestic ventilation (Scottish Standards amended subsequent to the research) with the potential risks posed to health during a period of increasing emphasis on airtightness in order to save energy, and over-reliance of perceptions by occupants in order to rectify poor IAQ using the basic means available.
External recognition has since been enhanced via other sources of dissemination such as BBC interviews with Sharpe, who led the work, his involvement with the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), other organisations such as NICE etc. All such activity lends support to the initial govermental step of strengthening building standards in Scotland, although more remains to be done – e.g. developing protocols to demonstrate acceptable IAQ in normal domestic usage.
- Author contribution statement
- -
- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
- -
