On the potential of demand-controlled ventilation system to enhance indoor air quality and thermal condition in Australian school classrooms

Elevated air temperature and poor IAQ are common problems in classrooms, which are exacerbated in the absence or lack of proper ventilation to remove excessive heat and stale air. Although mechanical ventilation systems dominated over natural ventilation in commercial and office buildings, natural ventilation in combination with split systems air-conditioners is typically used in Australian schools. While literature highlights different sources of pollutants in classrooms, IAQ, and associated problems, split systems are given more attention to set the classroom air temperature and respond to climate. Results presented here show empirical evidence in support of the need for adequate ventilation and IAQ in classrooms, which cannot be achieved by split air-conditioners based on cooling only policy without the reference to IAQ requirements. We showed demand-controlled ventilation system with air extraction yield to reduction of Carbon dioxide and Volatile Organic Compounds. If you like to read more check our recently published paper. 

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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378778821001225?dgcid=author

Can urban heat be mitigated in a single urban street? Monitoring, strategies, and performance results from a real scale redevelopment project

Urban overheating affects the health and wellbeing of communities, the environmental quality, and the economic performance of cities. This study demonstrates that outdoor thermal comfort can be improved in a single street by decreasing ambient (Ta) and surface (Ts) temperatures by implementing innovative and traditional heat mitigation strategies. Ten scenarios were modelled in ENVI-met and evaluated based on detailed in-situ and airborne-based meteorological data collected along Phillip Street (Parramatta) in Sydney, Australia. The best-performing scenario combining reflective materials, increased greenery, spray systems, and traditional shading provides a very significant reduction of Ta and Ts of up to 3.3 °C and 30.9 °C, respectively.

On the impact of modified urban albedo on ambient temperature and heat related mortality

Do u know that the magnitude of the temperature drop caused by the albedo increase in cities is close to 0.09C per 0.1 rise of the albedo ? Also that the levels of the urban heat related mortality increase significantly as a function of the population size of the cities and the local poverty levels while ncreased urban albedo reduces heat related mortality between 0.1 and 4 deaths per day, corresponding to an average decrease of deaths close to 19.8% per degree of temperature drop, or 1.8% per 0.1 increase of the albedo?

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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038092X21000475?dgcid=author

Πιθανόν ακατοίκητα να είναι προάστια του Σύδνεϋ τις επόμενες δεκαετίες λόγο υψηλών θερμοκρασιών

 

Ειδικοί εκτιμούν ότι στα επόμενα 20 με 30 χρόνια συνοικίες και προάστεια του Σύδνεϋ θα είναι ακατοίκητα, με τα καλοκαίρια να μακραίνουν και τη θερμοκρασία να αγγίζει τους 50 βαθμούς κελσίου.

Πριν από λίγες ημέρες στην πολιτεία της Νέας Νότιας Ουαλίας παρατηρήθηκε ένα ασυνήθιστο για την παρούσα περίοδο, τόσο σε έκταση όσο και σε ένταση, κύμα καύσωνα.

Heatwaves may mean Sydney is too hot for people to live in 'within decades'

Parts of Victoria and NSW are sweating through an extreme heatwavethat started sweeping across Australia's southeast on Saturday.

This may seem like just a good excuse to go to the beach, but as the planet warms and summers become longer and less bearable, heatwaves are coming to represent an existential threat to Australian suburbs.

Already, heat kills more people in Australia than any other natural disaster, including floods, cyclones and bushfires.

Urban Heat Island (UHI) Mitigation : Hot and Humid Regions

This book discusses the concepts and technologies associated with the mitigation of urban heat islands (UHIs) that are applicable in hot and humid regions. It presents several city case studies on how UHIs can be reduced in various areas to provide readers, researchers, and policymakers with insights into the concepts and technologies that should be considered when planning and constructing urban centres and buildings. The rapid development of urban areas in hot and humid regions has led to an increase in urban temperatures, a decrease in ventilation in buildings, and a transformation of the once green outdoor environment into areas full of solar-energy-absorbing concrete and asphalt.

Building in Hot and Humid Regions: Historical Perspective and Technological Advances

 

This book presents an in-depth analysis covering climatic and weather conditions, house and building development history, construction methods and technologies, and environmental conditions. It provides relevant house and building information and highlights recent advances in hot and humid regions, as well as developments in other regions that are relevant to hot and humid climates.

The countries in hot and humid regions, which include the tropical countries, the Middle Eastern countries around the Mediterranean, and many countries of Central Asia and Africa, are home to some of the most challenging conditions in the world in terms of house and building design and construction, and in terms of maintaining indoor thermal comfort and air quality in an energy-efficient way.