Indoor Environment Department
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Indoor Environment Department |
The Indoor Environment Department conducts a broad program of research, technology development and dissemination activities directed toward improving the health, comfort and energy efficiency of the indoor environment. Our work focuses on reducing the energy used for thermally conditioning and distributing ventilation air in buildings, improving indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal comfort and the health and productivity of building occupants, and understanding human exposures to environmental pollutants found in indoor and outdoor air.
The Energy Performance of Buildings Group (EPB) works on problems associated with whole- building integration involving modeling, measurement, design and operation. Most of the Group's tasks have focused on the movement of air and the associated energy penalties. The major research areas of the group include the following:
The Commercial Building Ventilation & Indoor Environmental Quality (CBVIEQ) Group conducts research on energy-efficient ventilation, pollutant transport, particle control, and health and productivity in commercial buildings. The research methods employed by this group include controlled laboratory studies, extensive multi-disciplinary field studies, modeling, and reviews and syntheses of data. Associated research topics include the following:
The research methods employed by this group include controlled laboratory studies, extensive multi-disciplinary field studies, modeling, and reviews and synthesis of data. Much of this group's research is performed in collaboration with other research institutions, particularly the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Center for Environmental Design Research at the University of California, Berkeley.
The Pollutant Sources, Dynamics and Chemistry Group conducts research on problems associated air pollutants in buildings:
Reducing indoor pollution through the use of low emissions materials and reduction of emissions from combustion sources can substantially improve indoor air quality in buildings and reduce the energy needed to ventilate buildings.
The Airflow and Pollutant Transport Group conducts research to develop models of airflow and pollutant transport and dispersion in buildings. Computer modeling research is undertaken to understand and analyze airflow and pollutant dispersion in large indoor spaces, and between building zones and through ducts of HVAC systems in large commercial buildings. Small-scale and full-scale experimental research is coordinated with computer modeling research to gain insights into airflow and pollutant transport and dispersion phenomena within buildings.
The Exposure and Risk Analysis Group conducts research on current and emerging technologies for anticipating and monitoring exposures of human and ecological receptors to harmful agents. Our work focuses on the development and use of multimedia exposure measurements and models in health-risk assessments, chemical transport and transformation in the environment, and the health and environmental impacts of energy, industrial, and agricultural systems. Major areas of research in this group include the following: