Building Performance Evaluation of a New Hospital Building in the UK: Balancing Indoor Environmental Quality and Energy Performance
Open Access
- 15 January 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Atmosphere
- Vol. 12 (1), 115
- https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12010115
Abstract
Hospitals are controlled yet complex ecosystems which provide a therapeutic environment that promotes healing, wellbeing and work efficiency for patients and staff. As these buildings accommodate the sick and vulnerable, occupant wellbeing and good indoor environmental quality (IEQ) that deals with indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal comfort, lighting and acoustics are important objectives. As the specialist nature of hospital function demands highly controlled indoor environments, this makes them energy intensive buildings due to the complex and varying specifications for their functions and operations. This paper reports on a holistic building performance evaluation covering aspects of indoor air quality, thermal comfort, lighting, acoustics, and energy use. It assesses the performance issues and inter-relationships between IEQ and energy in a new building on a hospital campus in the city of Bristol, United Kingdom. The empirical evidence collated from this case study and the feedback received from the hospital staff help identify the endemic issues and constraints related to hospital buildings, such as the need for robust ventilation strategies in hospitals in urban areas that mitigate the effect of indoor and outdoor air pollution and ensuring the use of planned new low-carbon technologies. Whilst the existing guidelines for building design provide useful instructions for the protection of hospital buildings against ingress of particulate matter from outdoors, more advanced filtration strategies may be required to enact chemical reactions required to control the concentration levels of pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and benzene. Further lessons for improved performance in operation and maintenance of hospitals are highlighted. These include ensuring that the increasingly available metering and monitoring data in new buildings, through building management systems, is used for efficient and optimal building operations for better IEQ and energy management. Overall, the study highlights the need for an integrated and holistic approach to building performance to ensure that healthy environments are provided while energy efficiency targets are met.Funding Information
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/N009703/1)
- Innovate UK (KTP project Partnership number 11615)
- University College London (UCL Overseas Research Scholarships (UCL-ORS))
This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit:
- Most London hospitals and clinics exceed air pollution limitsBMJ, 2017
- Impact of indoor environmental quality on occupant well-being and comfort: A review of the literatureInternational Journal of Sustainable Built Environment, 2016
- Indoor Environmental Quality in Low Energy BuildingsEnergy Procedia, 2015
- Indoor environmental quality research needs for low-energy homesScience and Technology for the Built Environment, 2015
- Are current design processes and policies delivering comfortable low carbon buildings?Architectural Science Review, 2014
- Field survey of overheating problems in Estonian apartment buildingsArchitectural Science Review, 2014
- Measured and perceived indoor environmental quality: Padua Hospital case studyJournal of Affective Disorders, 2013
- Building resilience to overheating into 1960's UK hospital buildings within the constraint of the national carbon reduction target: Adaptive strategiesJournal of Affective Disorders, 2012
- The impacts of environmental noise on the academic achievements of secondary school students in Greater LondonApplied Acoustics, 2011
- Hazard assessment of chemical air contaminants measured in residencesIndoor Air, 2011