Dampness in Buildings and Health. Interdisciplinary Research at the International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy

Geo Clausen, Carsten Rode, Carl-Gustaf Bornehag, Jan Sundell

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingArticle in proceedingsResearchpeer-review

    Abstract

    A so-called Engineering Research Centre on Indoor Climate and Energy has been established in 1998 at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). For the first five years the centre is supported by the Danish Technical Research Council by almost 8 million DKK per year and by DTU by 6 permanent academic positions. It is anticipated that the research council's support for the centre will be prolonged for another five years, during which period it will be gradually reduced and the centre will be indulged as a permanent activity at DTU.The ambition of the research is to extend the knowledge of the factors that influence the well being of occupants in the indoor climate. The perspective of this knowledge should be widened such that it will be possible to carry out an integral optimisation of a high indoor air quality in durable, low energy consuming buildings.While located at DTU, the centre will maintain close contact with international, not the least Nordic, research groups by facilitating possibilities for exchange visits and guest positions. The centre will be very active in educating new Ph.D.'s.Next to presenting the setting, the paper gives an overview of the research tasks within the centre. The main themes are:· Continued research in human perception of indoor air quality, especially by identification of the factors that may cause annoyance to the occupants. Such annoyances may be emissions from materials or biological activity, and is often linked to the dampness of buildings.· Studies on air distribution in indoor spaces. Particularly, using CFD models, it should be possible to study the local conditions in the vicinity of the human body.· Modelling and experimental investigation of humidity transfer and energy consumption in buildings. The research aims at establishing complete modelling capabilities of the hygrothermal conditions in buildings with their spaces, building materials, furnishing, activity of occupants, and influence from exterior conditions.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationProceedings of the 5th Symposium on Building Physics in the Nordic Countries
    Place of PublicationGöteborg
    PublisherChalmers University of Technology and Swedish National Testing and Research Institute
    Publication date1999
    Pages621-628
    Publication statusPublished - 1999
    Event5th Symposium on Building Physics in the Nordic Countries - Gothenburg, Sweden
    Duration: 24 Aug 199926 Aug 1999
    Conference number: 5

    Conference

    Conference5th Symposium on Building Physics in the Nordic Countries
    Number5
    Country/TerritorySweden
    CityGothenburg
    Period24/08/199926/08/1999

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