Monitored Indoor Environmental Quality of a Mass Timber Office Building: A Case Study

Abstract

A broad range of building performance monitoring, sampling, and evaluation was conducted periodically after construction and spanning more than a year, for an occupied office building constructed using mass timber elements such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor and roof panels, as well as glue-laminated timber (GLT) beams and columns. This case study contributes research on monitoring indoor environmental quality in buildings, describing one of the few studies of an occupied mass timber building, and analyzing data in three areas that impact occupant experience: indoor air quality, bacterial community composition, and floor vibration. As a whole, the building was found to perform well. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including formaldehyde, were analyzed using multiple methods. Formaldehyde was found to be present in the building, though levels were below most recommended exposure limits. The source of formaldehyde was not able to be identified in this study. The richness of the bacterial community was affected by the height of sampling with respect to the floor, and richness and composition was affected by the location within the building. Floor vibration was observed to be below recognized human comfort thresholds.

Airborne dermatophyte propagules concentration in cowsheds as an underestimated reservoir of potential zoonoses

“…Cowsheds buildings can present microbial load by means of direct dust settlement due to a complex combination of local environmental conditions, large crowding of animals and airflow when serving food, milking, hygienic procedures or the expulsion and return of cattle to and from pastures (Gnat et al, 2018; Łagowski et al, 2020). All parameters related to the indoor microclimate are consistent with those recorded for human environments (Marcu et al, 2021; Shelton et al, 2002; Stenson et al, 2019; Tseng et al, 2021), although it seems that the aerosol load with potentially pathogenic micro‐organisms for livestock is much higher. Moreover, these conidia or dermatophyte hyphae tend to proliferate from air to other organic compounds, such as food, milk, litter and dust, among others (Tseng et al, 2021; van Rhijn & Bromley, 2021).…”

Microbiological, Health and Comfort Aspects of Indoor Air Quality in a Romanian Historical Wooden Church

“…Additional problems are caused by the construction material (especially wood), which forms a culture medium for the growth of microorganisms and fungi. Solid wood buildings can present microbial load by means of direct dust settlement due to a complex combination of local environmental conditions [ 3 , 4 ]. Arguably, old heritage buildings must be monitored in order to minimize the risks to the health of visitors and employees, to optimize the maintenance costs, and prior to their inclusion in sightseeing tours.…”

Viable bacterial communities on hospital window components in patient rooms

“…In particular, bacteria that can survive frequent, harsh cleanings may be better able to withstand variations in environmental conditions within patient rooms (Velazquez et al, 2019). While the unique design and occupancy of individual buildings make it difficult to compare indoor microbial communities between structures, it is important to note that many observational studies of microbial communities within the built environment, such as office spaces and homes, identify thousands of unique taxa (Kembel et al, 2012;Stenson et al, 2019). The present study identified approximately 1000 taxa, despite the high occupancy and activity level typical of a hospital, lending credence to the idea that patient rooms with regular cleaning are a harsh environment for bacteria, and that this cleaning regime is a stronger selection force than sunlight exposure.…”