HOBEL Research Paper Acknowledged with Best Paper Award at 43rd AIVC
© 2023 EPFL
The paper entitled "Can Naturally Ventilated Office Buildings Cope with Dusty Outdoor Air?" authored by Evangelos Belias, Flourentzos Flourentzou, and Dusan Licina received the prestigious Best Paper Award at the 43rd AIVC Conference
The paper addresses a pertinent question: Can natural ventilation, a passive technique relying on natural forces to provide fresh air, offer high indoor environmental quality conditions with low energy use, even in dusty environments?
A comprehensive study was conducted on a naturally ventilated office building in Nicosia, Cyprus, a location with frequent and severe dust episodes. The study measured indoor and outdoor air quality, thermal comfort, occupant satisfaction, and energy consumption over a year.
The findings highlight that a well-designed and operated naturally ventilated building can indeed provide satisfactory indoor environmental quality conditions with minimal energy use, even in dusty environments.
This study adds to the growing body of evidence supporting natural ventilation as a viable and sustainable solution for achieving healthy, comfortable, and energy-efficient buildings in different climates and regions."
