Recent Challenges in Buildings Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality

Dear Colleagues,

Recent challenges in building ventilation and indoor air quality (IAQ) have been influenced by emerging health concerns, technological advancements, and changing outdoor environmental conditions. Some of the key challenges related to IAQ and ventilation in buildings deal with the following topics.

1. Health and Well-Being

Airborne Transmission: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of ventilation in preventing the airborne transmission of viruses. This led to increased scrutiny of HVAC systems and their ability to effectively dilute and filter contaminants, cleaning and circulating the air.

Increased Ventilation Requirements: Recommendations for increased outdoor air ventilation to dilute indoor contaminants have put pressure on existing HVAC systems, often not designed for such high levels of air exchange, namely with the consideration of a resilient mode to be implemented in the case of a pandemic-like episode.

Chemical Pollutants: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from building materials, furnishings, and cleaning products can accumulate, especially in well-sealed buildings.

Biological Contaminants: Mold, bacteria, and viruses can thrive in HVAC systems if not properly maintained. The ventilation requirements are normally defined as a function of the chemical contaminants load, but a paradigm change is needed.

2. Energy Efficiency vs. IAQ

Balancing Act: There is a continuous challenge to balance energy efficiency with IAQ. Highly efficient buildings tend to be more airtight, leading to poor ventilation if not managed properly. On the other hand, overreaction in terms of the definition of ventilation rates may result in a high rise in energy consumption and the carbon footprint of the building sector.

Retrofit Challenges: Upgrading existing buildings to improve IAQ without compromising energy efficiency or significantly increasing operational costs is difficult.

Building Materials: The thermal characteristics of building materials directly impact the HVAC load, which in turn affects energy consumption and indoor air quality.

Behavioral Factors: Occupants’ behaviors, such as blocking vents or improperly using ventilation systems, can negatively impact IAQ and/or energy efficiency.

Awareness and Education: There is a need for increased awareness and education on the importance of IAQ and the proper use of ventilation systems among building occupants.

3. Technological Integration

Smart Ventilation Systems: Integrating advanced monitoring and control systems for the real-time adjustment of ventilation rates poses both a technological and financial challenge.

Sensor Reliability: Ensuring the reliability and accuracy of thermal comfort and indoor air quality sensors used in these systems will be a major challenge in the coming years.

Integration of New Technologies: The rapid pace of technological advancements means that building managers must continuously evaluate and integrate new solutions, such as UV-C disinfection or advanced filtration technologies.

Commissioning and Upkeep: Advanced systems often require more specialized maintenance, which can challenge building operations teams. Artificial intelligence and machine learning integration in this area appear promising to improve performance and optimize the energy consumption of HVAC systems.

Intelligent management: The integration of advanced sensors to monitor air quality, temperature, humidity, and occupancy, coupled with algorithms and software that allow for the real-time monitoring and optimization of ventilation energy performance under varying conditions.

4. Climate Change and Standards Evolution

Temperature Extremes: Increased frequency of extreme weather events can stress HVAC systems, making it harder to maintain optimal IAQ. A renovation wave regarding the outdoor weather design conditions is needed.

Outdoor Air Quality: Rising levels of outdoor pollutants, such as wildfire smoke and urban smog, complicate the use of outdoor air for ventilation purposes.

Evolving Standards: Keeping up with and implementing evolving IAQ and ventilation standards can be resource-intensive for building managers.

Compliance Costs: Adhering to stricter regulations often involves significant upfront costs for system upgrades and ongoing maintenance.

Resilient ventilation models: climate change, urbanization, and the need for continuous operations in critical facilities drive the demand for more robust, energy efficient, and adaptable systems.

The submission of scientific papers addressing the former topics is welcome is in this Special Issue about “Recent Challenges in Buildings Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality”.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Buildings.

Prof. Dr. Manuel Carlos Gameiro da Silva
Prof. Dr. Mohamed El Mankibi
Guest Editors

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• indoor air quality
• energy efficiency of buildings
• ventilation in buildings
• climate change
• resilient ventilation modes
• IAQ and ventilation standards
• smart ventilation systems
• advanced filtration technologies