Electromagnetic Environments and Health in Buildings


Book Description

Electromagnetic Environments and Health in Buildings brings together the work of an international group of specialists in this fragmented subject area. The book covers health effects of electromagnetic fields, emission standards and offers some




Building Materials, Health and Indoor Air Quality


Book Description

The impact of building materials and construction methods on the health and wellbeing of occupants is often underestimated. This book is an essential guide to understanding and avoiding hazardous materials and poor air quality in buildings. The author covers a range of issues beginning with an explanation of how buildings work and how this influences the health of occupants and users. The text covers: Ventilation, air conditioning and indoor air quality Damp and mould Asthma and respiratory problems Cancer and endocrine disorders Radiation and radon Hazardous building materials used in construction Indoor air quality and emissions Ecological alternatives and approaches and remedies for ‘sick’ buildings The book also guides the reader through the confusing world of regulations, EU and international guidelines and certifications, and provides a critical analysis of different theories of healthy buildings and philosophies. Written in a clear and accessible style, this book provides indispensable advice and information to anyone wishing to better understand healthy buildings and materials. It is essential reading for architects, surveyors, public health professionals, facilities managers and environmentalists.




Intelligent Buildings: An Introduction


Book Description

This book introduces the concept of Intelligent Buildings to the wider construction community. Edited by the Father of Intelligent Buildings, Derek Clements-Croome, the book explains that intelligent buildings should be sustainable, healthy, technologically aware, meet the needs of occupants and business, and should be flexible and adaptable to deal with change. This means the processes of planning, design, construction, commissioning and facilities management including post-occupancy evaluation are all important. Buildings comprise many systems devised by many people and yet the relationship between buildings and people can only work satisfactorily if there is an integrated team with a holistic vision.




Sustainability and Health in Intelligent Buildings


Book Description

Sustainability and Health in Intelligent Buildings presents a comprehensive roadmap for designing and constructing high-performance clean energy-efficient buildings, including intelligence capabilities underpinned by smart power, 5G and Internet-of-Things technologies, environmental sensors, intelligent control strategies and cyber-physical security. This book includes a special emphasis on health pandemic resiliency that discusses strong engineering control strategies to respond and recover from infectious diseases like COVID-19. Sections cover the foundational aspects of healthy buildings, with a special emphasis on assessing indoor environmental qualities. In addition, it introduces the necessary principles that assist engineers and researchers in understanding and designing buildings that meet health and sustainability goals. - Describes the basic elements of building a digital ecosystem, along with informatics-driven performance architecture - Features various models used in the design of controllers for major systems such as HVAC and lighting - Explores the notion of building bioelectromagnetics to ensure health and safety from human exposure to EM fields




Electromagnetic Environments and Health in Buildings


Book Description

With increasing use of mobile phones and VDUs, levels of background radiation and electromagnetism are rising, particularly in the workplace and also in the home. To some extent this is unavoidable, but the level of dangers is unclear: is it trivially small, moderate or high? What are the risks of illness, and how can these be reduced to minimal or tolerable levels? Are some people more vulnerable than others? What can or should employers, building engineers and designers, product designers, workers and other members of the public do? This book, of which the chapters derive from presentations given by distinguished authorities at a major international conference, aims to present sound technical information on the whole range of key issues in a clear and accessible way.




Formation and Control of Biofilm in Various Environments


Book Description

This book provides excellent techniques for detecting and evaluating biofilms: sticky films on materials that are formed by bacterial activity and produce a range of industrial and medical problems such as corrosion, sanitary problems, and infections. Accordingly, it is essential to control biofilms and to establish appropriate countermeasures, from both industrial and medical viewpoints. This book offers valuable, detailed information on these countermeasures. It also discusses the fundamentals of biofilms, relates various substrates to biofilms, and presents a variety of biofilm reactors. However, the most important feature of this book (unlike others on the market) is its clear focus on addressing the practical aspects from an engineering viewpoint. Therefore, it offers an excellent practical guide for engineers and researchers in various fields, and can also be used as a great academic textbook.




Designing Buildings for People


Book Description

Our built environments can affect us in many subtle ways. Simply sensing fresh air and natural light or seeing greenery and open space can uplift our mood and improve our wellbeing. But these healthy environments are increasingly difficult to achieve in practice. The vital collaboration between the many people involved in designing and producing buildings is often not achieved. Then there is the pressing need to reduce waste and pollution. Managing these demands is a challenge, especially in a traditional climate of short-term thinking. Designing Buildings for People explores how we can learn from buildings of the past, vernacular architecture and the natural world around us, while still harnessing the opportunities presented by technology, to think creatively, work collaboratively and exercise a transdisciplinary approach. The book features over 200 images, exhibiting the acclaimed work of internationally recognized and research-led designers from the fields of architecture, engineering and management. It is a prime reference work for professionals and students who want to build the sustainable buildings of the future.




The Healthy Indoor Environment


Book Description

Despite policy directives, standards and guidelines, indoor environmental quality is still poor in many cases. The Healthy Indoor Environment, winner of the 2016 IDEC Book Award, aims to help architects, building engineers and anyone concerned with the wellbeing of building occupants to better understand the effects of spending time in buildings on health and comfort. In three clear parts dedicated to mechanisms, assessment and analysis, the book looks at different indoor stressors and their effects on wellbeing in a variety of scenarios with a range of tools and methods. The book supports a more holistic way of evaluating indoor environments and argues that a clear understanding of how the human body and mind receive, perceive and respond to indoor conditions is needed. At the national, European and worldwide level, it is acknowledged that a healthy and comfortable indoor environment is important both for the quality of life, now and in the future, and for the creation of truly sustainable buildings. Moreover, current methods of risk assessment are no longer adequate: a different view on indoor environment is required. Highly illustrated and full of practical examples, the book makes recommendations for future procedures for investigating indoor environmental quality based on an interdisciplinary understanding of the mechanisms of responses to stressors. It forms the basis for the development of an integrated approach towards assessment of indoor environmental quality.




Intelligent Buildings


Book Description

Intelligent buildings provide stimulating environments for people to work and live in. This book brings together a body of the latest knowledge about design, management, technology and sustainability set against the background of developments in the cultural landscapes, which affect those living and working in buildings.




Aerosol Science


Book Description

AEROSOL SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS Aerosols influence many areas of our daily life. They are at the core of environmental problems such as global warming, photochemical smog and poor air quality. They can also have diverse effects on human health, where exposure occurs in both outdoor and indoor environments. However, aerosols can have beneficial effects too; the delivery of drugs to the lungs, the delivery of fuels for combustion and the production of nanomaterials all rely on aerosols. Advances in particle measurement technologies have made it possible to take advantage of rapid changes in both particle size and concentration. Likewise, aerosols can now be produced in a controlled fashion. Reviewing many technological applications together with the current scientific status of aerosol modelling and measurements, this book includes: Satellite aerosol remote sensing The effects of aerosols on climate change Air pollution and health Pharmaceutical aerosols and pulmonary drug delivery Bioaerosols and hospital infections Particle emissions from vehicles The safety of emerging nanomaterials Radioactive aerosols: tracers of atmospheric processes With the importance of this topic brought to the public's attention after the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull, this book provides a timely, concise and accessible overview of the many facets of aerosol science.