Indoor Environmental Effects and Assessment Systems - Term Paper Example

Indoor Environmental Effects and Assessment Systems Client Inserts His/her Name Client Inserts Grade Course Client Inserts Tutor’s Name 17/04/2012 ABSTRACT Nowadays most people spend much of their time indoors. At any one time, either the people will be working in an office, in vehicles, at home or in academic institutions. Since the lives of people are becoming increasingly more important with regards to their environment, environmental campaigns have become among the heated topics in almost every country. This signifies that there is a common desire to improve the quality of man’s environment especially in work stations. Many companies and employer have currently been spending immense amounts of their funds to ensure proper working atmosphere for the workers as well as sustenance of external environment that is equally important. Various researchers in the past have discovered that faulty buildings that do not provide sound indoor environment quality have led to dissatisfaction of many people, who as a result suffer from sick-building syndrome. The significance of such a condition is recognized by analyzing the economic impact from the prolific sick leaves where significant amounts of work time are lost. INTRODUCTION Indoor Environment for a Typical Arts and Drama House For designers of new buildings, it definitely becomes important to consider a design of a building that enhances proper environmental conditions. The factors to consider in this reference include the purpose of the building, the external general environment (basing on the geographical placement of the region where the building is to function. For instance, consider the climatic pattern of a place), the number of people to be expected in the building for a particular time and time of the day, when the activities in the building occurs. For Art and Drama building for example, all the above factors need to be considered. Art and Drama houses are houses for social gathering and exercise. As so, large numbers of people will be expected at any one time. For such a building therefore, maximum care need to be put in place while considering the working internal environmental conditions, especially air quality control and thermal conditions, as these two are the most important environmental parameters with direct impact especially in health and comfort contexts. In fact, with respect to the Art and Drama purposes of a building, health and comfort are strictly issues to highly address. The air quality and temperature levels both of which affect the health and comfort aspects of a person in such a building are analyzed below. THE AIR QUALITY Healthy indoor air is the air that does not provide any risk of disease and that ensures comfort and well being for all occupants. A typical Arts and Drama School will most likely consist of multipurpose buildings with both exercise/training and audience (theatres) grounds. The immediate suggestion of this statement is that these buildings will serve a purpose of holding large numbers of people at different times including the trainees and their trainers as well as massive audience at specific periods. Such buildings should preferably be built away from any industrial toxic gaseous particles that are harmful to human health (McArdle et al. 2001). The building materials also should not leave behind or release harmful materials into the air which when inhaled may cause drastic adversities in the health of the occupants. A good example is the asbestos roofing sheets that shed toxic particles into the air, which when inhaled causes a disease known as asbestosis. Dampness in the air is another dimension from which indoor air quality can be addressed. A person is expected to inhale 4 grams in every one kilogram of air inhaled. Excesses of damp air inhalation are known to cause coughing, wheeze, asthma and allergies. Low ventilation also threatens the health status of an occupant. This is because ventilation rate not only affects the rate of dampness in a particular building but it leads to increased house dust mites infestation and indoor-generated air pollutants. Trainees/Actors First, the activities in such a building are mostly characterized by physical exercises. Consider a Martial Arts trainees whose every activity is a matter of intensive physical exercises. These exercises will always call for large consumptions of oxygen, important for various physiological processes in the body of a performer (Astrand & Rodahl 1986). As a fact, oxygen demand directly varies with the rate of doing work. The high heart rate of exercising individuals calls for high oxygen supply. Increased indoor air dampness is not recommended for such a building either. The effects of excess inhalation of excessively damp air have been underscored above. Audience When it comes to audience, even though there is no much exercise to take place, the issue of competition for space evidently comes in. Audience occurs in large numbers (Baizhan 1998) and in the case of a building; there will always be a tendency that the specific room (hall or theatre) will be overcrowded. If such halls/theatres are poorly ventilated, gradually the air becomes oxygen deficient and breathing becomes a manual rather than the usual passive form, because the air turns stuffy. The ultimate impact is not only reduction of comfort and low attention but also can easily lead to health complications such as fainting, headache and fatigue among others. Remedy A proper house for Arts and Drama should be well ventilated. This can be done by the use of many double layers of wide windows, one layer at a breast height and the others at ceiling height (Astrand &Rodahl 1986). Alternatively, use of fans may be adopted essentially because of their flexibility and affordability. The best move is when the two modules are employed. Air conditioners can need also to be fixed to regulate the internal humidity of such a building. Thermal Comfort Thermal comfort zone is of basic consideration and should be attained to ensure a high quality of indoor environment (ASHRAE 2004). The heating effect from electrical lighting, lack of adequate ventilation prompting improper humidity levels are key contributions to a building with poor thermal comfort zone set up. Additionally, the kind of activities carried out in Arts and Drama houses which mainly include physical exercises are known to generate a lot of heat from one’s body. This is well explained by the physiological processes associated with physical exercise. Oxygen is rapidly inhaled due to heightened demand to facilitate breakdown of sugars stored in the body to produce enough energy for the exercise (Newsholme & Leech 1983). During the energy release process, significantly large amounts of energy so produced are lost in form of heat. The result is emission of heat from the body to the surroundings. Each performer then will release doses after doses of heat (Newsholme & Leech 1983). The accumulation of heat will eventually lead to heating up of the room. Eventually, thermal discomfort sets in. High humidity levels also may lead to high temperatures. Low temperatures are equally unattractive and a for purposes such as those served by a typical Arts and Drama building, low temperatures will lead to inactivity. The effect of intolerable thermal regimes is a negative impact on the general performance (Frontczak et al. 2011) of the involved parties, a sign of failure. However, this happens wherever ventilation rates are inadequate. Both thermal and air quality aspects are entwined in the sense that the control of one leads to either usage or effect on the other. They almost entirely form the basis on which the quality of indoor environment is determined. Since the bottom line of any venture has maximum productivity the main goal, it is important to come up with a way to determine the indoor quality expected to operate so as to realize high performance (Kim & De Dear 2012). This largely will help to avoid the risk of constructing a building that will not well help to achieve the preset goals. Since most employers do not allow their workers to be interviewed about the indoor environment quality (Baizhan 1998), the method that is hereby thought effective is the Satisfaction and Self-estimated Performance (Zagreus, et al. 2004). This involves collecting data at households as volunteers about a similar-purpose building. It would even appear more effective if data is available from experts from the same scope that your ambitions cover. An analysis from substantial data can then be carried out and averages put into practice. Program Used to Assess and Rate Environmental Performance of Buildings and Civil Engineering Projects Environmental performance of buildings and various projects are currently becoming of great concern. The prime aim of collecting this information is to use the analyzed results in bettering the current techniques employed in fighting degradation of the environment (Gee 1997). Various methods are used to collect this information as discussed below. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND AUDIT (EIA) As the name sounds, the method is split into two processes, that is, the environmental impact assessment process and the environmental audit process phases (Au & Sanvicens 1997). EIA process is used to predict the possible environmental impacts of a project or construction of a building long before they are put into action (Au & Sanvicens 1997). It involves a comprehensive process that occur in stages including screening, scoping, description of the existing environment, analysis of alternatives and the basis on which an alternative is selected, listing down of the environmental impacts that are likely to occur in the time of operation of the proposed project, suggestions on the possible mitigation measures against the predicted impacts, environmental management and training and finally a comprehensive plan for the monitoring of the project. Screening and Scoping: This involves testing whether the project in question will require undergoing the EIA process. This is done roughly by suggesting all the impacts that the project may cause to the environment during its initiation, operational and termination processes. Then the scoping process follows and this filters down the significant impacts from all the listed possibilities. Description of the Existing Environment: This is a process that comprehensively describes the area intended for the project. Arising Environmental Impacts: The area description is used as a reference to suggest the possible impacts and their degree of significance. In essence, the filtered impacts are related to the area of study. Then, the possible mitigation measures are suggested. Training in environmental management and formulating proper monitoring plan for the project follows. A report is drawn and handed to the relevant authority. Basing on the results from the above stages, the project is approved or disapproved. EIA is performed by certified EIA practitioners. The main aim is to prevent initiation of a project that will cause massive environmental degradation or one that will cause irreversible harmful changes to the environment. After the project has been initiated, follow-up activities are conducted such as monitoring the progress and finally an audit is made. Environmental audit compares the expectation of the project with respect to environmental safety to the actual outcome (Boyle & Mubvami 1995). As said earlier, EIA has proven a reliable process to prevent emergence of projects that may threaten the stability of the environment and is practiced in many countries worldwide. STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (SEA) Strategic Environmental Assessment is more or less the same as the EIA. It requires that all the environmental considerations be addressed in the overall Plans and Programs before they are put into practice (Bass et al. 1995). SEA focus is towards maintenance of sustainable environment and the promotion of sustainable development using the existing natural resources. Unlike EIA, the stages involved are fewer and include screening which serves the a similar purpose as in the EIA, scoping which narrows down the scope of environmental considerations of concern, preparing and handing an environmental report to the authorities in control, sourcing more information from experts, concluding about the environmental issues of concern and finally making of decision (Brown 1998). SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT This is a process that concerns itself only on the impacts of a project on social environment. It looks at how the project will affect the surrounding community either positively or negatively. For example, will the project cause cultural drain to the area’s community? Will it cause disturbances like noise? Will the project offer chances of employment to the local people? Will it alter the initial economic activities of the local people (Gee 1997)? It takes a similar process only that it distances itself from consideration of the physical environment. Many a time, it is incorporated into EIA where both are conducted simultaneously and not likely to be conducted alone. Although selective, it serves to guard the local community’s values. LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA) Life Cycle Assessment is also a widely used technique and addresses the environmental aspects and predicts the potential impacts that may result from a product, a service or a process by assessing the amount of energy and additional raw materials and yet taking notices of their potential environmental effects and then explaining the meaning of their results. After this, one is able to make sound decisions (Gee 1997). The method therefore can be used in the case where a continuing project wishes to expand its scope. The results so explained may then be used to determine how much, on approval, a particular project owner will pay for the damage the project will cause to the environment or to adjust the level of abatement of the possible impacts to a higher level. There are four stages one will adhere to while conducting a Life Cycle Test which include goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment and interpretation of the results as explained above. It is a good assessor of continuing businesses, where the most popular methods like EIA may not properly be employed. ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT (ERA) Environmental Risk Assessment is a process employed to calculate the risk factor associated with the presence of potential hazards and evaluating the existing condition (Carnegie 1993). This method is mostly employed to manage disaster risks that may occur in the environment. In this case, the method tries to gauge the vulnerability of particular regions to various physical aspects of the environment. The idea is to safeguard people living in a prone locality from possible harm that is mostly presented by environmental agents (Carnegie 1993), for example the occurrence of a volcano eruption. It has been observed over years, times when maritime journeys or even urgent flights are indefinitely terminated as a result of ERA suspicious results. In generals, ERA attempts to shield man from losing their lives, properties and so on. Present data and previous records of environmental trends especially those related to climate from meteorological departments all over the world (Gee 1997), in close collaboration, is often used to determine risk factors that may lead to deaths of many if ignored. There have also occurred restrictions on where to build what type of a house for similar reasons. For instance, construction of tall buildings in earthquake-prone areas is mostly prohibited. Different methods of environmental assessment and control discussed seem to serve distinct purposes. If carefully conducted, all the method promise to provide security for our lives, our properties, our environment, yet saves some reserves for the generations to come. REFERENCES ASHRAE (American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers.) 2004. Thermal Environmental Conditions for human Occupancy, (ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55-2004) Astrand, P.O., Rodahl, K., 1986. Textbook of Work Physiology—Physiological Bases of Exercise, 3rd Edn. New York:McGraw–Hill Book Company. Au, E., and Sanvicens, G., 1997. EIA Follow up and Monitoring in Report of the EIA Process Strengthening Workshop (pp. 91-107). Canberra: Environment Protection Agency. Baizhan, L., 1998. Assessing the Influence of Indoor Environment on Self-Reported Bass, S., Dalal-Clayton, B., and Pretty, J., 1995. Participation Strategies for Sustainable Development. London: IIED. Boyle, J., and Mubvami, T., 1995. Training Manual for Environmental Impact Assessment in Zimbabwe. Department of Natural Resources, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Zimbabwe. Brown, A., 1998. The Environmental Overview as a Realistic Approach to Strategic Environmental Assessment in Developing Countries. In Porter A and Fittipaldi J (eds) Environmental Methods Review: Retooling Impact Assessment for the New Century, pp. 101-108. Fargo: The Press Club. Carnegie. 1993. Risk and the Environment. Improving Regulatory Decision-making. Carnegie Commission Commission on Science, Technology and Government, New York. Frontczak, M., Schiavon, S., Goins, J., Arens E., Zhang H. and Wargocki, P., 2011. Quantitative relationships between occupant satisfaction and satisfaction aspects of indoor environmental quality and building design, Indoor Air, doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0668.2011.00745.x. Gee, D., 1997., Approaches to scientific uncertainty. In: Health at the Crossroads: Transport Policy and Urban Health, T. Fletcher and A. McMichael (Eds). Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. Kim, J. and De Dear, R., 2012. Nonlinear relationships between individual IEQ factors and overall workspace satisfaction. Building and Environment, 49, p. 33-40. McArdle, W.D., Katch, F.I., and Katch, V.L., 2001. Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition and Human Performance, 5th Edn. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins. Newsholme, E.A., Leech, A.R., 1983. Biochemistry for the Medical Sciences. 2nd ed. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Productivity in Offices; PhD Thesis for the University of Reading, UK Zagreus, L., Huizenga, C., Arens, E. and Lehrer, D., 2004. Listening to the occupants: a Web-based indoor environmental quality survey, Indoor Air, 14, p. 65-74 Read More