Description

Pressurized corridor ventilation systems are often used in multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) due to their simple design and centralized maintenance requirements. These systems are designed to positively pressurize each corridor relative to the connected suites such that fresh air is driven through door undercuts to maintain sufficient suite ventilation and prevent cross contamination of air between suites via the corridor. These systems are often commissioned once after they are installed, when the dampers on each floor are adjusted so that the air flow rate to each corridor meets the design requirement on commissioning day. However, the varying air pressure profiles in these buildings due to occupant behavior and weather conditions often results in poor system effectiveness, providing minimal pressurization and sometimes depressurization. This poor effectiveness can result in poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and potentially occupant health effects. Currently, there is a lack of widespread field data on this topic, leading to a poor understanding of the relationships between pressurized corridor ventilation and IEQ in MURBs. This study begins to address this gap by analyzing measured field data on corridor ventilation rates and occupant perception surveys from two buildings in Toronto, Canada. Ventilation measurements were taken on each floor at outdoor temperatures ranging from -1?C (30?F) to 30?C (86?F), and occupant surveys results were used to characterize occupant activities such as window operation, and perceived indoor air quality (IAQ). The measured ventilation data revealed that the ventilation rates in both buildings were typically approximately half of the designed and commissioned values. The occupant surveys showed that over half of the occupants were bothered daily by cooking orother odors from neighboring suites. Future work will include additional surveys, ventilation measurements, and tracer gas testing.

Citation: 2020 Winter Conference, Orlando, FL Conference Papers

Product Details

Published:

2020

Number of Pages:

9

Units of Measure:

Dual

File Size:

1 file , 650 KB

Product Code(s):

D-OR-20-C008