Christina Higgins is Acoustics and Building Physics Lead at Rimkus. She has an MSc in acoustic engineering, a PhD in civil and environmental engineering, and spent over a decade as an acoustic consultant in the construction industry. She has a holistic and systems-thinking approach to building performance and occupant comfort. In this series, Christina will talk through examples of the interface between different building physics-related issues which are at the root of construction claims and disputes.
What makes a building “healthy”?
Well, firstly, it shouldn’t make you sick.
Sick building syndrome is a term that came into use in the 1970s, in response to widespread complaints from building occupants. They were complaining of a range of symptoms including headaches, dizziness, irritation of the ears, nose and throat, coughs, skin irritation, and fatigue.
The role of ventilation
The 1973 oil embargo had resulted in a drive to minimise building energy use by improving airtightness, and ventilation targets were reduced to levels insufficient for health and wellbeing. Adequate air changes from ventilation are required to remove harmful pollutants in the air. In 1983 the World Health Organisation estimated that up to 30% of new and refurbished buildings in the West were at risk of sick building syndrome.
The role of infiltration
Infiltration is the term used to describe airflow that enters through openings not intended for ventilation, such as windows. It might be through cracks in the building fabric, for example. While it might not cause sick building syndrome, ‘leaky buildings’ (buildings with high infiltration) also pose a health and wellbeing risk to occupants. During the colder months, large amounts of heating energy are lost through the building envelope, increasing the risk of high relative humidity and, with it, poor indoor environmental quality.
What is indoor environmental quality?
Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is a term used to describe the environmental conditions within a building. These conditions vary from space to space, but the primary categories are indoor air quality, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, and lighting quality. In the first post of this series, we talked about building physics, which describes how mass or energy of heat, moisture, light and sound waves are transferred between inside and outside a building – here we frame the issues more from the perspective of the occupants experiencing them.
*Caveat: buildings themselves can’t really be ‘healthy’. ‘Health-preserving’ buildings might be more accurate, but this doesn’t sound quite as catchy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a healthy building?
A “healthy building” is a building that has good indoor environmental quality, adequate airflow, and conditions that do not adversely affect occupant health or well-being. Sound absorption reduces how much sound is reflected in a room by using soft or porous materials that absorb sound energy. Sound insulation reduces the amount of sound that passes through a wall, floor, or ceiling into another space, typically by using dense, heavy materials.
What is sick building syndrome?
Sick building syndrome is a term that came into use from the 1970s, in response to widespread complaints from building occupants. The buildings were highly airtight, and the low ventilation rates resulted in conditions which caused a range of symptoms in occupants, including headaches, dizziness, irritation of the ears, nose and throat, coughs, skin irritation, and fatigue.
What is indoor environmental quality?
Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is the term used to describe the environmental conditions within a building as experienced by occupants. These conditions vary from space to space, but the primary categories are indoor air quality, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, and lighting quality
The first step in diagnosing a building dispute or claim relating to occupant health or comfort is understanding the current conditions and the building physics. Our Building Physics and Acoustics team at Rimkus are well-placed to determine the root causes of building performance issues.
Keep an eye out for future posts where we dive deeper into IEQ and building physics-related topics.
This article is intended to provide general information and insights into prevailing industry practices. It is not intended to constitute, and should not be relied upon as, legal, technical, or professional advice. The content does not replace consultation with a qualified expert or professional regarding the specific facts and circumstances of any particular matter.