International standards for the indoor environment

Abstract

On the international level, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) are writing and reviewing standards relating to the indoor environment on a regular basis. This presentation will focus on the development of standards for the indoor thermal environment and indoor air quality (ventilation). In the future, recommendations for acceptable indoor environments will be specified as classes. This allows for national differences in the requirements as well as for designing buildings for different quality levels. Several of these standards have been developed mainly by experts from Europe, North America and Japan. Are there, however, special considerations relating to South-East Asia (lifestyle, outdoor climate, economy) that are not dealt with in these standards and that will require the revision of existing standards? Critical issues are: adaptation, the effect of increased air velocity, humidity, type of indoor pollutant sources, etc. This paper will present an overview of existing methods, and discuss areas where revision of present standards or the development of new standards, are needed.

Practical implications: The international standards for the indoor environment provide the designer with criteria, which are internationally recognized, for the design of buildings and systems.