Ventilated spaces improve the health of the occupants.
The act of opening a window, or bringing fresh air into a room, can prevent stale environments, condensation humidity, odors… in short, uncomfortable spaces.
Certifications and regulations for healthy buildings
The LEED certification certification also values these aspects, through compliance with the ASHRAE 62.1 standard. This certification requires the review and compliance with certain parameters of the standard, in this case those related to indoor air quality, including outdoor air contribution rates.
In the aforementioned American standard, it is advocated to ensure ventilation to achieve spaces with acceptable air quality, through the design of outdoor air supply system installations, ensuring minimum flow rates, and the obligation to provide air in various types of spaces. of spaces.
How to calculate the required external contribution according to ASHRAE?
The calculation of outdoor air rates are calculated using a proprietary method based on values that depend on both occupancy and the surface area of the room.
For example, in an office building, in any given office, the outdoor air ventilation rate according to ASHRAE would be:
2.5 l/s per person x number of persons + 0.3 l/s m2 x m2 of office space
This will give us a flow rate value (in l/s), which ensures air quality according to this standard.
These values are specified in the standard itself.
If we compare the local standard with the ASHRAE standard in this aspect, in general the local Spanish standard is more restrictive with respect to flow rates, except in some specific spaces.
That is to say, if we dimension the ventilation by ASHRAE and by the IDA method, the higher flow rate will be that of the local standard.
It is worth mentioning the special case of corridors.
Local regulations do not require outside air supply, while ASHRAE 62.1 does, so it is important to review and compare both standards to understand which is the most unfavorable.
Both seek to maintain a healthy indoor environment by regulating the amount of fresh air needed based on occupancy and activity in a healthy building, thus contributing to occupant comfort and safety.
Ventilation: essential for building maintenance
It is clear that proper ventilation plays a very important role in creating healthy buildings and improving the health and well-being of the occupants of these buildings.
Both the opening of windows and the implementation of efficient ventilation systems are essential strategies to achieve this.
ESG and Green Building Consultant at Ineria Management
