Implementation of the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Model for the Assessment of a Retrofitted Historical Masonry Building

Michał Piasecki, Elżbieta Radziszewska-Zielina, Piotr Czerski, Małgorzata Fedorczak-Cisak, Michał Zielina, Paweł Krzyściak, Patrycja Kwaśniewska-Sip and Wojciech Grześkowiak
Additional contact information
Michał Piasecki: Department of Thermal Physics, Acoustics and Environment, Building Research Institute, Filtrowa 1, 00-611 Warsaw, Poland
Elżbieta Radziszewska-Zielina: Faculty of Civil Engineering, Chair of Management in Construction, Cracow University of Technology, 24 Warszawska Street, 31-155 Kraków, Poland
Piotr Czerski: Construction and Conservation Company EXIMRENO, Sp. z o.o. 5/5 Makowskiego Street, 30-322 Kraków, Poland
Małgorzata Fedorczak-Cisak: Lesser Poland Centre of Energy Efficient Construction, Cracow University of Technology, 114 Lea Street, 30-133 Kraków, Poland
Michał Zielina: Faculty of Environmental and Engineering, Cracow University of Technology, 24 Warszawska Street, 31-155 Kraków, Poland
Paweł Krzyściak: Department of Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Chair of Microbiology, Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum, 18 Czysta Street, 31-121 Kraków, Poland
Patrycja Kwaśniewska-Sip: Air Quality Investigation Department, Łukasiewicz Research Network—Wood Technology Institute, 1 Winiarska Street, 60-654 Poznań, Poland
Wojciech Grześkowiak: Faculty of Wood Technology, Institute of Chemical Wood Technology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, 38/42 Wojska Polskiego Street, 60-637 Poznań, Poland

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 22, 1-27

Abstract: Achieving a satisfactory level for indoor environments of historical buildings is an ongoing problem that needs to be solved due to a large demand for deep retrofits in the whole of Europe. The implementation of the indoor environmental quality index (IEQ) to predict an occupant’s satisfaction in thermo-modernized historical buildings is a new concept which is a response to existing needs. In this article, a relevant study is provided with the intention to evaluate the indoor environmental performance of retrofitting effects in historical buildings dating back to the years 1873–1878. Considering the historical character of the buildings, some of the cellar spaces were fitted out with an innovative internal insulation system of mineral sheets based on calcium silicate to prevent water vapor condensation and effectively limit mold growth. The IEQ methodology was applied for retrofitted and non-retrofitted spaces as a comparison. Four essential components of indoor quality are investigated: thermal comfort, indoor air quality, acoustic comfort, and visual quality. The results of sub-component indexes are calculated based on the measured indoor parameters and the specific sensory functions. This paper discusses the results of an indoor environmental analysis including a mycological air quality assessment with the newly developed IAQ index (fungal air contamination index), total volatile organic compound concentration (TVOC), CO 2 , and formaldehyde (HCHO) assessment, the evaluation energy-related thermal comfort, acoustic, and visual quality, of modernized spaces. A questionnaire survey study was additionally carried out among a building’s users intentioned to compare the accounts of satisfaction before and after the retrofitting process and also to compare “subjective” results with the one’s based on in situ tests. The retrofitting approach was proven to be effective in limiting the presence of molds and a significant difference in indoor environmental quality between thermally insulated and uninsulated spaces was observed and discussed.

Keywords: indoor environmental quality; energy retrofitting; historical buildings; internal insulation; indoor air quality; indoor modelling; building comfort (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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