The Healthy Indoor Environment
How to Assess Occupants' Wellbeing in Buildings
By Philomena M. Bluyssen
To Be Published November 6th 2013 by Routledge – 416 pages
Description
Despite policy directives, standards and guidelines, Indoor Environmental Quality is still poor in many cases. The Healthy Indoor Environment aims to help architects, building engineers, and anyone concerned with the wellbeing of building occupants, to better understand the effects of spending time in buildings on health and comfort. In three clear parts dedicated to Mechanisms, Assessment and Analysis, the book looks at different indoor stressors and their effects on wellbeing in a variety of scenarios with a range of tools and methods.
The book supports a more holistic way of evaluating indoor environments, and argues that a clear understanding of how the human body and mind receive, perceive and respond to indoor conditions is needed. At national, European and world-wide level, it is acknowledged that a healthy and comfortable indoor environment is important both for the quality of life, now and in the future, and for the creation of truly sustainable buildings. Moreover, current methods of risk assessment are no longer adequate: a different view on indoor environment is required.
Highly illustrated and full of practical examples, the book makes recommendations for future procedures for investigating Indoor Environmental Quality based on an interdisciplinary understanding of the mechanisms of responses to stressors. It forms the basis for the development of an integrated approach towards assessment of Indoor Environmental Quality.
Reviews
The author of this book does not start from the more conventional points of departure, like the possibilities provided by new theories or technologies, nor does the book start from the most problematic aspects in assessing Indoor Environmental Quality. It starts were it should start: with people, us building occupants. The occupants are put central in this multi-disciplinary quest on how to analyse and assess IEQ in order to ameliorate conditions in buildings. From this perspective it gives an overview of all possible approaches. Therefore it is highly recommended to everyone interested to know how to assess occupants’ well-being in buildings. Professor Mieke Oostra, Hanzehogeschool Groningen University of Applied Sciences
Contents
Preface List of Symbols, Acronyms and Abbreviations Part 1: Mechanisms 1. Human model 2. Bodily Processes 3. Stress Response Mechanisms Part 2: Assessment 4. Indicators 5. Research Methods and Analysis 6. Data Collection Techniques Part 3: Analysis 7. Needs and Opportunities 8. Performance Indicators 9. Scenarios Annex A Questionnaires Annex B Checklists Annex C Indicators References Index
Author Bio
Philomena M. Bluyssen started as a full Professor of Indoor Environment at the Delft University of Technology in 2012 after more than two decades working for TNO. She has written more than 170 publications and won the Choice Award for Outstanding Academic Titles of 2010 for the Indoor Environment Handbook (also published by Earthscan from Routledge).
Name: The Healthy Indoor Environment: How to Assess Occupants' Wellbeing in Buildings (Hardback) – Routledge
Description: By Philomena M. Bluyssen. Despite policy directives, standards and guidelines, Indoor Environmental Quality is still poor in many cases. The Healthy Indoor Environment aims to help architects, building engineers, and anyone concerned with the wellbeing of building occupants, to...
Categories: Building Services Engineering, Human Performance Modeling, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Design, Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning, Estate and Facilities Management, Environmental Health & Safety, Environment & Health
