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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 15208

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dong Hwa Kang

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Guest Editor

Department of Architectural Engineering, College of Urban Sciences, University of Seoul, Seoul 02504, Korea
Interests: indoor air quality; ventilation and air cleaning systems in buildings; contaminant transport analysis; building simulation

Prof. Minki Sung

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Architectural Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea
Interests: Indoor air quality, Airborne infection controls in health-care buildings, Ventilation and air handling systems, Microbial contamination in buildings

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fresh air intake into building indoors has been considered as one of most effective indoor air quality control strategies for a long time. This traditional knowledge of ventilation with respect to taking fresh outdoor air for indoor air quality control is no more valid especially in many urban areas throughout the world due to polluted outdoor air quality. Worldwide efforts to reduce carbon emission in building sectors are encouraging super-airtight building construction which is effective to reduce building energy consumption, but also may give negative influence to indoor air quality by increasing indoor pollutant concentrations. Novel research and development to overcome the raised new challenges and to confront the shifting building construction and environmental situations are essentially needed for sustainable building construction industry.

Therefore, this Special Issue invites original research in the area of indoor air quality monitoring, control technologies, air pollution modelling, and other smart technologies to improve indoor air quality. Topics of this Special Issue include but are not limited to the following specific issues:

Ventilation and air circulation;
CFD and building simulation;
Air cleaning and filtration;
Sources and emissions;
Indoor particulate matters, volatile organic compounds and microbes;
Perceived air quality;
Indoor environmental quality;
Energy and climate challenge;
Smart sensors for indoor air monitoring

Prof. Dong Hwa Kang
Prof. Minki Sung
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

Indoor Air Quality
Air Circulation
Ventilation
Contaminant Transport
Indoor Environmental Quality
Thermal Comfort
HVAC System

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2319 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Outdoor Particle Infiltration into Classrooms Considering Air Leakage and Other Building Characteristics in Korean Schools

by Ye Seul Eom, Bo Ram Park, Hee Won Shin and Dong Hwa Kang

Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7382; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137382 - 01 Jul 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1761

Abstract

We analyzed the effects of air leakage and other building characteristics on outdoor particle penetration in classrooms. The building characteristics including air leakage of 12 Korean schools were investigated, and onsite measurements were conducted to estimate the outdoor particle infiltration. The correlations among variables associated with air leakage and building characteristics and outdoor particle infiltration were analyzed using the Pearson correlation analysis and linear regression. The effective leakage area (ELA) of classrooms varied highly from 340.8–1566.9 cm², and a significant disparity in the air leakage characteristics among the classrooms appeared. The results of onsite measurement revealed that the average ELA was larger in the corridor side with an ELA_{corridor-side} of 264.7 cm² than in the outdoor side (ELA_outdoor-side of 93.1 cm²). Results of correlation analysis indicated a high correlation (r = 0.68~0.78, p-value < 0.05) between the size resolved outdoor particle source (P × λ) and specific ELA. Particularly, a strong linear relation (R² = 0.69~0.71) with specific ELA_{corridor-side} was seen. Results suggest that cracks between windows and doors in the corridor side considerably affect outdoor particle penetration. These results indicate the importance of improving the airtightness of not only the building envelope but also the inter-zonal walls for effectively reducing the outdoor particle infiltration into classrooms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Circulation and Indoor Air Quality)

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14 pages, 1870 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimation of Outdoor PM_2.5 Infiltration into Multifamily Homes Depending on Building Characteristics Using Regression Models

by Bo Ram Park, Ye Seul Eom, Dong Hee Choi and Dong Hwa Kang

Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5708; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105708 - 19 May 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1889

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate outdoor PM_2.5 infiltration into multifamily homes according to the building characteristics using regression models. Field test results from 23 multifamily homes were analyzed to investigate the infiltration factor and building characteristics including floor area, volume, outer surface area, building age, and airtightness. Correlation and regression analysis were then conducted to identify the building factor that is most strongly associated with the infiltration of outdoor PM_2.5. The field tests revealed that the average PM_2.5 infiltration factor was 0.71 (±0.19). The correlation analysis of the building characteristics and PM_2.5 infiltration factor revealed that building airtightness metrics (ACH₅₀, ELA/FA, and NL) had a statistically significant (p < 0.05) positive correlation (r = 0.70, 0.69, and 0.68, respectively) with the infiltration factor. Following the correlation analysis, a regression model for predicting PM_2.5 infiltration based on the ACH₅₀ airtightness index was proposed. The study confirmed that the outdoor-origin PM_2.5 concentration in sufficiently leaky units could be up to 1.59 times higher than that in airtight units. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Circulation and Indoor Air Quality)

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24 pages, 5735 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimal Combination of External Wall Insulation Thickness and Surface Solar Reflectivity of Non-Residential Buildings in the Korean Peninsula

by Jung Ho Kim and Young Il Kim

Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3205; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063205 - 15 Mar 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2352

Abstract

To delay fossil energy depletion and implement the Paris Climate Change Accord, the South Korean government is attempting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the establishment of the 2030 Roadmap. The insulation performance of external walls is being continuously enhanced in the architectural domain. However, Korea’s policy and construction market focuses only on the heat resistance of buildings’ external walls to enhance the insulation performance, leading to an increased thickness of the insulation materials. In this study, the relationship between the surface reflectivity and insulation thickness of external walls was examined to formulate an effective insulation strategy for buildings in Korea. Office buildings of 12 regions in the Korean Peninsula were considered. The dynamic energy simulation program EnergyPlus was used to perform the heating and cooling load analyses. The present worth method was adopted to perform the economic analysis. The analysis of the cooling and heating loads indicated that a change occurred not only in terms of the latitude but also between the Eastern and Western regions. The energy consumption could be reduced by increasing the reflectivity in the Southern region and lowering the reflectivity in the Northern region, based on the total load. In addition, a higher latitude corresponded to a higher energy saving effect owing to the increased insulation thickness. In the case of Jeju Island and Busan, regions with a relatively large cooling load and small heating load, the total load is little affected by insulation thickness at high reflectivity. If the external skin was considered to have the optimal reflectivity, the regions for optimal insulation thickness could be divided into three categories: north, central and south. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Circulation and Indoor Air Quality)

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22 pages, 17854 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Study on Indoor Environmental Quality in a Room Equipped with a Combined HRV and Radiator System

by Aminhossein Jahanbin and Giovanni Semprini

Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10576; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410576 - 17 Dec 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2212

Abstract

Heat recovery ventilation (HRV) systems can be integrated with an additional air heater in buildings with low energy demand in order to cover space heating demand. The employment of coupled HRV-heater systems is, therefore, gaining increasing interest for the improvement of the indoor environmental quality (IEQ), as well as the reduction of ventilation energy loss. The present paper analyses the efficacy of a HRV system, coupled with a low-temperature radiator, in satisfying the IEQ indices inside a retrofitted dormitory room. A computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model based on the finite volume method is established to investigate IEQ characteristics including indoor air quality and thermal comfort condition. The presented CFD code provides a practical tool for a comprehensive investigation of the IEQ indices in spaces employing a coupled HVAC system. In an analysis of indoor air quality, parameters such as age of the air, air change efficiency, and ventilation efficiency in removal of gaseous contaminants, namely VOCs and CO₂, are evaluated. The results obtained by the numerical model allow addressing the interaction between HRV and radiator systems and its effects on airflow field. The results show the decrease of the indoor operative temperature with increment of the supply air flow rate, which is mainly due to the decreased thermal efficiency of the HRV system. The obtained results indicate that, while higher ventilation rates can significantly decrease the age of the air and gaseous contaminants level, at the same time, it would cause a local discomfort in some parts of the room. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Circulation and Indoor Air Quality)

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29 pages, 9668 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Analysis of Indoor Environmental Quality of Architectural Campus Buildings’ Lecture Halls and its’ Perception by Building Users, in Karachi, Pakistan

by Mushk Bughio, Thorsten Schuetze and Waqas Ahmed Mahar

Sustainability 2020, 12(7), 2995; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12072995 - 08 Apr 2020

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 6066

Abstract

Poor Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) adversely affects the performance and health of building users. Building users are an important source of information regarding IEQ and its influence on users’ wellbeing and productivity. This paper discusses the analysis and evaluation of IEQ in lecture halls of two public Architectural Campus Buildings (ACB) in Karachi, Pakistan. The method of this research is divided into three parts: (i) An analysis of local climate conditions, (ii) An on-site survey of two existing ACBs to analyze indoor environmental conditions. and (iii) The analysis of users’ satisfaction using a questionnaire survey. The research results showed that users are dissatisfied with existing hot and humid indoor environment conditions caused by interactions of local outdoor climate conditions, the building’s architecture, and inadequate ventilation within the building. The findings revealed that Karachi has 41.3% comfort hours with the warm sub-humid season to be the most comfortable season having 80.56% comfort hours. IEQ analysis unveiled that airflow in ACB1 is low, whereas, high airflow is observed in ACB2. The findings of this research unveiled that cross-ventilation by the adapted placement of openings, improved external shading devices, and provision of increased vegetation are required in both ACBs to achieve a more comfortable IEQ. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Circulation and Indoor Air Quality)

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