Indoor Conditions in Silesian Buildings with Natural Ventilation

Abstract

The most important criteria for evaluating building engineering are the indoor climate and energy consumption. Increasing energy saving can result not only through the use of better barriers, but also particular building elements, such as windows that have low air leakage values. Both in the design of new buildings and the retrofitting of existing buildings, traditional structures that allow natural ventilation may be used. In these cases, the ventilation provided is important for a proper realisation of all environmental and energy requirements. The present paper presents selected results from a long period of research work. These results were obtained by questionnaires, measurements and simulations of ventilation processes in typical blocks of flats and office buildings in Silesia. The main objective of this paper is to present the investigations and summarise the large number of results taken which describe the effects of airtightness and natural ventilation on the indoor environment.