Sick or Health?

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Sick or Health?

• The building saga

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Sick Building Syndrome a collection of certain
specific complaints and symptoms experienced by
workers during or after a stay in certain
building spaces Source E Eyskens, L Feenstra,
AE Meinders (eds) 1991. Codex Medicus. Elsevier,
Amsterdam. ISBN 90-6228-183-4
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Source http//www.who.org/aboutwho/en/definition.
html
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Sick Buildings Bad Dwellings In control
Bad No control Sick 1. Actual Use 2.
Maintenance 3. Finishing and Furnishing 4.
Renovation / Expansion 5. Move out / Change
job (Bad) Owner gt Tenant gt Employee (Sick)
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Sick Building Symptoms

• Dry eyes
• Dry throat
• Headache
• Dry skin
• Mucous membrane irritation
• Lethargy
• Asthmatic symptoms

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• A Sick Building
• forms an environment that does not
• answer to the human need for
• - Absence of Pathogens
• - Absence of other biotic, chemical or physical
  Pollutants
• - Thermal Comfort
• Lighting Comfort
• Acoustic Comfort
• - Sufficient Space, Privacy, Peace, Quiet,
  Control
• - Contact with outdoors (view, sound, smell, air
  quality)
• Source PA Vroon 1991. Ziekmakende Gebouwen en de
  evolutie van de mens.
• Bouwfysica 2(2)18-25 E Eyskens, L
  Feenstra, AE Meinders (eds) 1991.
• Codex Medicus. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
  ISBN 90-6228-183-4

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A Healthy Building forms an environment that -
Has a Low Risk for negative health effects -
Makes Healthy Behaviour self-evident -
Compensates for disease or infirmity present -
Stimulates users to realise their ambitions -
Leaves Users Master of the situation
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Ergonomics is a domain of science dealing with
the application of information on physical and
psychological characteristics of persons to the
design of devices systems for human
use Source ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA
http//www.britannica.com/
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Building Assessment
Health aspect Assessment method Assessment method Assessment method
Health aspect Physical, chemical biological measurements Check user interfaces Questionnaire / Interview
Low health risk x x x
Supporting healthy behaviour 0 x x
Compensates 0 x x
Stimulates ambitions 0 0 x
Leave end-users master 0 x x
Building-in-use method repeated questionnaires
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Physical, Chemical, Biological

• Simple measurements
• Temperature (air, global, surfaces)
• Humidity
• Light lighting for visual and biological
  effects
• Sound and noise
• Geometrics and sizes
• Carbon dioxide, dust, other chemical pollutants
• Allergens, pathogenic micro-organisms
• Combined with calculation
• - (Humidity)
• -Thermal comfort according to Fangers model
• -Acoustics (speech audibility, enjoying music)
• -Allergen production

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Attacking Health-Problem related to Buildings

• Step 1 (Medical) diagnosis of health complaints
  ? nuisance, disease
• Step 2 List building-related contributing
  factors ? characteristics, maintenance
• Step 3 Construct and explanation model
• Step 4 Take measurements to validate the model ?
  building physics, questionnaires
• Step 5 Advice accordingly
• Step 6 Assess new situation ? improved?

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Choosing your methodologies

• Step 1 Search Google Scholar
• Step 2 Search Science Direct
• Step 3 Search WebSpirs
• Step 4 Search Web-of-Science

Reference Manager to manage your methodology
information !