Abstract

This is an account that should be heard of an important struggle: the struggle of a large group of experts who came together at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to warn the world about the risk of airborne transmission and the consequences of ignoring it. We alerted the World Health Organization about the potential significance of the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the urgent need to control it, but our concerns were dismissed. Here we describe how this happened and the consequences. We hope that by reporting this story we can raise awareness of the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the need to be open to new evidence, and to prevent it from happening again. Acknowledgement of an issue, and the emergence of new evidence related to it, is the first necessary step towards finding effective mitigation solutions.

The importance of effective ventilation as one of the measures against COVID-19 is widely recognized worldwide. In Japan, at the early stage of the pandemic, in March 2020, an official announcement was made about basic ventilation measures against COVID-19. WHO also used the term “long-range aerosol or long-range airborne transmission” for the first time in December 2021. Based on the aerosol infection control measures before 2021 by the Japanese government, we conducted experiments on methods related to partition placement as an element of effective ventilation methods. In July 2022, the governmental subcommittee on Novel Coronavirus Disease Control provided an emergent proposal about effective ventilation methods to prevent two types of aerosol infection; infection by large aerosol on the air current and infection by small floating aerosol diffusion in a room. They also showed the way of setting droplet prevention partitions, which do not block off ventilation based on this investigation’s results.

Abstract

The introduction of semi‐outdoor spaces to urban spaces and offices has increased in recent years. In previous studies, environmental grade has been defined as the level of control for the thermal environment set for an architectural space based on the use, where “semi‐outdoor environment” is an environmental grade division that exists as a gradation between indoors and outdoors. This study aims to clarify effects of various environmental grades on thermal comfort. Field surveys were conducted in five semi‐outdoor spaces in Tokyo from 9 to 25 September 2021, consisting of thermal environment measurement, questionnaires about thermal comfort and impression of surveyed spaces and real‐time sensation voting. By impression evaluation and comparison of the regression curves of standard new effective temperature (SET*) against percentage of “uncomfortably warm,” the surveyed spaces were classified into two categories: “outdoor tendency” and “indoor tendency.” The difference in thermal comfort for the diverse semi‐outdoor environment could be evaluated by the difference in spatial characteristics such as “sense of weight” of the top surface in addition to the difference in environment control. By regression analysis of real‐time sensation voting result using hierarchical Bayesian approach, environmental grade was clarified to affect the correlation between pleasantness/unpleasantness and air velocity.

Abstract

Activity‐based working (ABW) is attracting attention as a new style of working to improve workplace productivity in Japan. The purpose of this study is to clarify the changes in the working style of office workers by implementation of ABW. In this paper, a questionnaire survey was conducted in a research facility; once before the ABW renovation and twice after the renovation. We found that accustoming to the ABW leads to changes in the style of working, such as the choice of seats, and that being able to work where you want to work leads to increased workplace productivity.

This study aimed to verify the effectiveness of a 48-h independent power outage system, evaluate the indoor thermal environment under power outage conditions, and improve residential awareness of disasters through a power outage experience. A power outage experiment was conducted in a collective residence with a 48-h independent power system. The available power for each dwelling unit was limited based on the type of heat source, at 700 and 1200 W for cogeneration (CG) and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) heating, respectively. The power supply was halted when the available power limit was exceeded. During the experiment, the thermal environment, temperature, humidity, amount of power generated by the CG and SOFC, and load power of the dwelling units were analyzed. We also conducted a questionnaire survey to evaluate the indoor environment and infrastructure. The results showed that home appliances could be used because all dwelling units were supplied with sufficient power, at 700 and 1200 W. The most important appliances were electric fans, refrigerators, lighting, mobile phones, and computer chargers. Therefore, the experiment demonstrated that a comfortable evacuation living condition can be realized by using CG and SOFC during a power outage in the summer.

Information on air-conditioning and ventilation has been continuously disseminated in response to the Japanese Government's announcement of the need for appropriate ventilation measures against the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and the issuing of an emergency presidential discourse by the presidents of Engineering Societies. In this paper, we add to the information the latest knowledge on the behavior of SARS-CoV-2 in air, describe its diffusion characteristics in the built environment, and summarize the effects of temperature and humidity on the virus. Then we recommend varying approaches of air-conditioning control for facility type.

© Copyright © 2020 Nakano and Tanabe. In this work, thermal adaptation characteristics and thermal comfort zones were investigated in urban semi-outdoor environments in Tokyo. Four spaces with different levels of environmental control, i.e., heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) spaces and non-HVAC spaces, were selected for the seasonal field surveys lasting over a period of 80 days. The survey consisted of the thermal environment measurement, questionnaire survey, and observation of occupancy conditions. The occupants were adapting themselves to fit within a certain range of standard effective temperature (SET∗). Clothing adjustment was the principal form of behavioral adaptation. The dominant factor affecting the clothing adjustment was the daily mean outdoor temperature, and not the immediate environment, in both the non-HVAC and the HVAC spaces. The total number of occupants and the mean occupancy period of the day had a strong linear relationship with the daily mean air temperature of the occupied zone in the non-HVAC spaces. No correlation was found between the thermal environment and the occupancy conditions in the HVAC spaces. Adaptive thermal comfort zones, not comfort temperatures, were derived directly from the subjective votes. The comfort zone in SET∗ was found to be 23–28°C for the predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD), 18–29°C for HVAC spaces, and 14–32°C for non-HVAC spaces. Occupants in semi-outdoor environments were tolerant to their thermal environment two to three times wider in range than the one predicted by the PPD. These findings are expected to be useful in the design and assessment of urban semi-outdoor environments.

To accurately simulate human physiology and thermal comfort, certain human physiological and comfort models categorize the human body into multiple parts. Most of these body parts are normally clothed, which must be quantified in the simulation. However, existing databases of clothing evaporative resistance only characterize the evaporative resistance of the whole body and not those of individual body parts. This implies that each body part has the same level of clothing evaporative resistance. In this research, we measure the local clothing insulation and evaporative resistance. Here, we present the local thermal characteristic values as well as the values for the whole body.

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd The headspace method is used frequently for measuring the emissions rates of chemical compounds from building materials when operating labeling systems for these materials. A numerical investigation of transient formaldehyde concentration distribution in confined small glass desiccators was conducted in this study. To clarify the impact of the desiccator geometry on the formaldehyde emission and diffusion characteristics, three-dimensional (3D) laser-based measurement was first conducted to define the detailed inner geometries of the different commercial desiccators. A petri dish containing water was used as the sorbent for test specimens of formaldehyde emission sources produced inside the desiccators. Fundamental experiments concerning formaldehyde emission rates and sorption onto the sorbent were next performed using high- and low-emission types of building materials in the desiccators. Transient and steady numerical analyses were conducted for formaldehyde emissions from the building materials, molecular diffusion, and sorption onto the water sorbent. Transient analysis of the formaldehyde diffusion field over 24 h revealed that the total amount of dissolution of formaldehyde in the water was not significantly affected by the desiccator geometry in the building material of the inner diffusion control type. For evaporative/external diffusion emission-type, however, the formaldehyde emission rate was strongly affected by the desiccator shape. To obtain reproducible emission rate measurements in desiccators with different geometrical shapes, substantial adjustment is needed for the relative positions of the emission source and the sorbent in terms of the equivalent diffusion length, Ld.

© 2019 In Japan, low thermal insulation performance in existing houses is a considerable issue that may lead to health problems. Therefore, it is necessary to acquire technologies and knowledge regarding thermal insulation renovation. On the other hand, with the spread of photovoltaic panels, urban scale energy management and self-consumption have become important. The purpose of this study is to introduce a net-zero energy house which was designed, built, and analyzed by the team of Waseda University and Shibaura Institute of Technology in the ENEMANE HOUSE 2017 competition. The team proposed a renovation method which insert highly insulated walls into the existing structure, creating not only highly insulated areas but also non-insulated areas called “loggias.” By opening and closing the windows of the loggia according to the season, it functions as a passive system and enables residents’ behavioural adaptation to the environment. On the other hand, to aim for self-consumption and leveling of reverse power flow, a heat pump water heater and a storage battery were operated according to solar radiation prediction. Actual measurements confirmed the implementation and effect of this operational method. Moreover, the energy consumption was greatly reduced, while thermal comfort was maintained by thermal insulation and efficient equipment introduction.

Heat transfer coefficients are often used to describe the thermal behavior of radiant systems in buildings and how they transfer heat between their cooled/heated surfaces and the room. In addition to current standards, several studies have been conducted to determine such heat transfer coefficients by means of experiments and simulations. Inconsistency is evident in the values and expressions derived for this purpose. The present study investigated possible sources of discrepancy in an extensive literature review of articles, standards and guidelines that focus on the heat transfer coefficients of cooled/heated surfaces. Measurement data provided by different authors were analyzed to compare both the amount of heat transfer and the estimated heat transfer coefficients. These estimated values and expressions were used to predict the measured data reported in other articles, to examine their accuracy. Larger deviations and prediction errors were found in the total and convective heat transfer values than in radiant heat transfer, which had a range of errors within +/- 20% throughout the literature. The major sources of error were shown to be the calculation procedure for each heat transfer mechanism, the choice of reference temperature and its measurement height and position, and room dimensions. It is suggested that heat transfer coefficients should be chosen by matching the calculation/measurement conditions in which they were obtained to the purpose and conditions in which they will be applied.

This paper describes an example application of Thermo Active Building System (TABS) in a publishing company headquarters building located in the urban area of Tokyo, Japan. The successful integration of architectural, structural and building services design made it possible for this technology to be implemented. Since a part of the structure is utilized as a radiant surface instead of mounting ceiling panels, the floor height was greatly reduced. Some of the most important features of the novel TABS implemented in this building, are the alternately arranged nomal and reversed beams, which form a concave-convex salb structure. The bottom surface of the concave slab and beam structure works as a radiant surface for the lower floor, while the hollow space works as a passage for supply air for the upper floor. On the other hand, the hollow space in the convex structure works as a passage for return air and smoke exhaust from the lower floor.This means that all the space formed by slabs and beams are utilized for the building services. In addition, the building structure is effectively utilized as a radiant surface with a large heat storage capacity redacting electricuty demands during the peak period Furthermore, indoor temperature variation could be made smaller. In addition to the essential points of TABS, this paper reports the results of a mock-up experiment of the radiant cooling and heating system during the construction phase, and the results of the heat balance in a room. Moreover, it reports the results of a questionnaire distributed to occupants to investigate the indoor environment after the commencement of operation.

<p>Saving energy in the residential is required under the influence of global warming and electricity shortage caused by natural disaster in Japan. For the purpose of promoting zero energy house, "ENEMANE HOUSE 2017", a competition of Zero-Energy House was held. This paper shows the overview of the building and equipment planning, and also the evaluation of thermal environment and energy in the zero energy house which the consortium of Waseda University and Shibaura Institute of Technology proposed in the competition. This zero energy house demonstrates a method of renovation of housing using low-insulated outer wall of an existing industrialized house. The aim of the facility planning was not only the compatibility of energy-saving and comfort but also the increase in self-consumption of surplus power. </p>

Recognizing the value of open-source research databases in advancing the art and science of HVAC, in 2014 the ASHRAE Global Thermal Comfort Database II project was launched under the leadership of University of California at Berkeley's Center for the Built Environment and The University of Sydney's Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Laboratory. The exercise began with a systematic collection and harmonization of raw data from the last two decades of thermal comfort field studies around the world. The ASHRAE Global Thermal Comfort Database II (Comfort Database), now an online, open-source database, includes approximately 81,846 complete sets of objective indoor climatic observations with accompanying "right-here-right-now" subjective evaluations by the building occupants who were exposed to them. The database is intended to support diverse inquiries about thermal comfort in field settings. A simple web-based interface to the database enables filtering on multiple criteria, including building typology, occupancy type, subjects' demographic variables, subjective thermal comfort states, indoor thermal environmental criteria, calculated comfort indices, environmental control criteria and outdoor meteorological information. Furthermore, a web-based interactive thermal comfort visualization tool has been developed that allows end-users to quickly and interactively explore the data.

&nbsp;Since a number of residential houses in Japan have built before 1980, they have very poor thermal insulation. With poor thermal insulation specification, the indoor thermal environment in winter could be so uncomfortable. The low temperature in houses could cause occupants' common cold, higher blood pressure, heat shock, and many other diseases.<br>&nbsp;Chapter 1 comprised previous studies, including ones about CASBEE Housing Health Checklist, and introduced the purpose of this research.<br>&nbsp;CASBEE Housing Health Checklist by Japan Sustainable Building Consortium (JSBC) is a type of software used to assess the health of residences. Answering 50 questions allows residents to identify the aspects of their home that affect their health. The score on the warmth is the sum of points for 7 questions about warmth in the checklist. The perfect score for each question is 3 points, therefore the perfect score for 7 questions is 21 points. Questions about warmth are intended to evaluate the thermal environment of both living rooms and non-living rooms. The first question is about the coldness of living room, the 2nd is about the coldness of bedroom, the 3rd is about the dryness of the bedroom, the 4th and the 5th are about the coldness of sanitary spaces, the 6th is about the coldness of toilet, and the last question is about the coldness of Corridor/Stairs/Closet. Examples of questions are as follows: &ldquo;Do you feel cold during heating the living room?&rdquo;, &ldquo;Do you feel cold in the toilet in winter?&rdquo;<br>&nbsp;The purpose of this research is proposing a method to calculate the score on the warmth, and making it possible to evaluate health performance of detached house by using room temperatures of simulation results. As using this method, it could be possible to indicate the necessity of thermal insulation of houses or help the occupants to consider an improvement of thermal insulation performance.<br>&nbsp;The calculation method to calculate the score on the warmth in a house is proposed in Chapter 2. Score on the warmth in CASBEE Housing Health Checklist is calculated from the temperatures that are simulated in the previous case study using a heat load simulation. The method to calculate the scores from temperatures is based on other studies about thermal sensation, health, dwelling performance and so on. For example, the score to the question of &ldquo;Do you feel cold in the toilet in winter?&rdquo; is calculated from operative temperature (OT), floor surface temperature of the toilet, and the OT difference between the bedroom and the toilet at late-night. Regarding converting OT into scores, 8&deg;C corresponds to 0 points, and 15&deg;C corresponds to full points. This allocation is decided based on the study that indicates the average toilet temperature that occupants felt cold was approximately 8&deg;C, and the average temperature that does not feel cold was approximately 15&deg;C.<br>&nbsp;Using the score on the warmth, it is possible to predict the crisis rate of catching a cold in winter. The predicted crisis rates are indicated in Chapter 3. The temperatures calculated in the case study simulation of houses with various thermal insulation levels are used to predict the crisis rates. For example, if a house with no insulation is replaced with a house which insulation performance meets the Japanese energy saving standard (so-called &ldquo;H25 Standard&rdquo;), the score raises approximately 6 points, and the rate of catching a cold in winter decreases approximately 15 %.

&nbsp;In the 23 wards of Tokyo, air-conditioners have been set up in all classrooms of public elementary and junior high schools since 2014. In Japan, the proportion of installing air conditioners in public classrooms of public elementary and junior high school is 49.6%, which is rapidly increasing. There is concern that energy consumption of elementary and junior high school will increase even further in the future. However, in Japan, the "Building Energy Efficiency Act" came into effect in 2016, and the thermal performance of the building's envelope and the method of calculating the primary energy consumption were determined. According to the specified method of calculation, two indices, Building Perimeter Index (BPI) and Building Energy Index (BEI) are obtained.<br>&nbsp;The purpose of this investigation is to comprehend the energy consumption situation of elementary schools in the Tokyo S ward, which is equipped with air conditioning facilities in all classrooms. First, we calculate the thermal performance of the envelope and the primary energy consumption according to the method prescribed in the "Building Energy Efficiency Act" and examine the correlation. Next, we compare the calculation result obtained by this calculation method with the actual measurement value. The following conclusions were obtained.<br>&nbsp;1) The average primary energy consumption of the primary school in S ward is 498 MJ /m² per year. This significantly exceeded the primary energy consumption average of elementary and middle schools, 356 MJ /m² per year nationwide and 305 MJ /m² per year in the 6th climate zone including Tokyo.<br>&nbsp;2) The primary energy consumption of the elementary schools in S ward are classified into two categories based on the completion year. For these two model schools, the calculations were conducted based on the "Building Energy Efficiency Act". BPI and BEI for both school A of the new specification and school B of the conventional specification were less than 1.0, and satisfactory results were obtained. The BPI was lower in school A than that in school B, and the difference in thermal performance of the envelope appeared to be remarkable. The BEI of school B was lower than that of school A.<br>&nbsp;3) In addition, we calculated the energy consumption based on the type of building. The school building shows substantial air- conditioned energy consumption, and the gymnasium building shows significant lighting energy consumption. The consumption equipment ratio of the school building and the gymnasium were exceedingly different.<br>&nbsp;4) The energy consumption of the air-conditioning equipment accounts for 60% of the total consumption. The air conditioning energy consumption per floor area of school A exceeds that of school B. Converting to the calculation per air-conditioning floor area, the value for school A becomes lower than that of school B.<br>&nbsp;5) The design values of the primary energy consumption calculated from the "Building Energy Efficiency Act" were 454 MJ /m² per year for school A and 341 MJ /m² per year for school B. However the measured value of the primary energy consumption of the entire school was 585 MJ /m² per year in case of school A and 449 MJ /m² per year in case of school B. The design value was estimated to be approximately 3/4 of the measured value of the entire school, and the primary reason behind this difference is the use of kitchen equipment not being included in the calculation earlier

With growing attention to sustainability and recognition of the impact of global warming problems, energy supply and consumption have become critically important. This paper presents the construction of a modeling platform accommodating cooperative energy management systems (EMSs), which virtually produces the model of a smart city with a distribution network (DN) by using a wide range of data obtained from the real world. The platform involves models of various EMSs, governing the operation of a power system or controlling consumer-installed devices, and simulating the power flow, electrical losses, and voltage in the DN. In addition, indices measuring the sustainability of the model city, such as CO2 emission, are estimated from scenarios, for example, photovoltaic system installation, electric vehicle penetration, etc. The results can be visually displayed and the platform is highly versatile and applicable to various types of issues associated with smart cities. Two case studies are presented in detail.

The introduction of photovoltaic power systems is being significantly promoted. This paper proposes the implementation of a distributed energy management framework linking demand-side management systems and supply-side management system under the given time-of-use pricing program for efficient utilization of photovoltaic power outputs; each system implements a consistent management flow composed of forecasting, operation planning, and control steps. In our framework, demand-side systems distributed in the electric distribution network manage individual energy consumption to reduce the residential operating cost by utilizing the residential photovoltaic power system and controllable energy appliances so as not to inconvenience residents. On the other hand, the supply-side system utilizes photovoltaic power maximally while maintaining the quality of electric power. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is evaluated on the basis of an actual Japanese distribution network simulation model from both the supply-side and demand-side viewpoints.

© 2017 The Authors. Indoor Air published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Conditions in which exhaled and dermally emitted bioeffluents could be sampled separately or together (whole-body emission) were created. Five lightly dressed males exhaled the air through a mask to another, identical chamber or without a mask to the chamber in which they were sitting; the outdoor air supply rate was the same in both chambers. The carbon dioxide concentration in the chamber with exhaled air was 2000 ppm. Chamber temperatures were 23°C or 28°C, and ozone was present or absent in the supply airflow. When dermally emitted bioeffluents were present, the perceived air quality (PAQ) was less acceptable, and the odor intensity was higher than when only exhaled bioeffluents were present. The presence or absence of exhaled bioeffluents in the unoccupied chamber made no significant difference to sensory assessments. At 28°C and with ozone present, the odor intensity increased and the PAQ was less acceptable in the chambers with whole-body bioeffluents. The concentrations of nonanal, decanal, geranylacetone, and 6-MHO were higher when dermally emitted bioeffluents were present; they increased further when ozone was present. The concentration of squalene then decreased and increased again at 28°C. Dermally emitted bioeffluents seem to play a major role in the sensory nuisance experienced when occupied volumes are inadequately ventilated.

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the causal relationship between certain factors through longitudinal research on health and living environment. Based on a questionnaire survey administered online to 5000 Japanese women in February 2011, and a follow-up survey of 3053 subjects undertaken in February 2013, an analysis was performed on 1575 people with a history of low back pain. First, causal relationships between 2 factors, "Chronic low back pain" and "Stress and fatigue," were analyzed using cross-lagged effects modeling and synchronous effects modeling. Similarly, causal relationships between 2 factors, "Stress and fatigue" and "Satisfaction with living environment," were analyzed using the 2 models. It was revealed that "Satisfaction with living environment" affects "Stress and fatigue," and "Stress and fatigue" affects "Chronic low back pain." Covariance structure modeling was used to show that "Satisfaction with living environment" indirectly affects "Chronic low back pain" through "Stress and fatigue" using longitudinal data. Accordingly, it was shown that improving the satisfaction with living environment can improve health in terms of stress, fatigue, and chronic low back pain. Moreover, it was suggested that CASBEE Health Checklist 6 score (group with good housing environment) and health variables were related.

Home energy management systems (HEMSs) are the system to manage the energy usage in houses. The use of HEMSs, and especially those which are capable of automatically controlling home energy appliances such as air-conditioners (ACs), is expected to manage energy utilized in domestic field effectively. In the present study, we focused on automatic AC operation by HEMS with the combined goal of improving thermal comfort while reducing electricity costs. In general, the room temperature and electricity consumption of an AC are highly dependent on the characteristics of the installation environment. so that the derivation of an appropriate AC operation plan is generally a difficult task. To tackle this problem, an energy management method to provide AC operation plan tailor-made for the target AC installation environmental by learning the characteristics of the installation environment (CIE) from the historical operation result data is proposed. The efficacy of the proposed method is verified via numerical and real-world experiments. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

&nbsp;Currently, most detached houses in Japan are airtight wooden structures that have a high risk of vapor condensation in the wall cavities. Vapor condensation in insulation material is a primary contributor to mold growth in wall cavities. Indoor mold concentrations depend not only on indoor mold sources, but also on infiltration from concealed spaces, such as beam space and crawl space. The air pollutants infiltrate houses from these spaces by indoor decompression via the ventilation system, and mold that infiltrates through the glass wool used for heat insulation may remain and grow on the material. In order to measure the mold concentrations in glass wool, a new method is required for air cavity sampling. A method using a Teflon tube inserted into thin spaces in wall cavities or crawl spaces is useful for accomplishing this task. The surface of Teflon is very smooth, but mold adheres to it because of friction or static electricity. The objectives of the present investigation were to develop a method to measure mold concentration using Teflon tubes and to characterize the movement of mold spores between heat insulators.<br>&nbsp;The following conclusions were obtained from this study:<br>&nbsp;(1) The mean rates of mold retention in 0.3, 0.5, and 1.0 m Teflon tubes, which were washed three times with sterilized physiological salt solution, were 5%, 21%, and 37%, respectively. This indicated that retention rates increase with increases in Teflon tube length, and it was concluded that a useful sampling method for concealed spaces must use a Teflon tube that is about 0.3 m long, given the retention rate. Data from inter-laboratory testing indicated that a Teflon tube that is 1 m long is unsuitable for this sampling method.<br>&nbsp;(2) The amount of mold spores in the glass wool heat insulator decreased the more it was washed using sterilized physiological salt solution to clarify the movement of mold spores. After the third wash, the desorption rate of mold spores in the glass wool was about 85%, showing that three rounds of washing were required to measure the mold movement.<br>&nbsp;(3) Measurement of the movement of mold spores inside the heat insulator showed that the quantity of mold spores adhering to the heat insulator decreases exponentially with an increase in length of the Teflon tubes.<br>&nbsp;(4) In this range of the wind velocity, the movement of mold spores between insulators through the heat insulator is not significantly influenced by wind in the small chamber.<br>&nbsp;(5) The experimental results indicate that the quantity of mold spores displaced from the heat insulator by air transportation was not significant.

Indoor air quality of homes, workplaces, public buildings, and cabins of transportation vehicles plays an essential role in the health and well-being of individuals. During recent decades, interest in indoor air research increased significantly as is reflected in the increasing number of scientific publications and international standards. Various ambient (outdoor) air quality standards and regulations have been established within many countries to protect public health. However, indoor air quality standards with legally binding force are scarce. Currently, consumer demand is helping to drive manufacturers using product labels indicating so-called "low emissions" as a marketing tool.

The authors evaluate indoor air quality in apartments built according to the South Korean Clean-Healthy House construction standard. The evaluation includes three types of residential units with differing gross floor areas. Indoor air was analyzed for formaldehyde (observed range 52.0-99.2 ug/m(3)), acetaldehyde (14.6-61.0 ug/m(3)), benzene (0.6-1.3 ug/m(3)), toluene (161.8-371.0 ug/m(3)) ethylbenzene (6.5-17.0 ug/m(3)), xylene (14.7-45.0 ug/m(3)), and styrene (37.7-112.5 ug/m(3)). The concentrations of all analyzed substances were within the South Korean guidelines. The findings confirm that the Clean-Healthy Homes initiative has led to a greatly improved indoor air environment compared to existing newly built apartment blocks in South Korea. However, this construction standard is applied only to large apartment developments comprising 1,000 or more units, and it seems that further effort should be made to extend the standard to stand-alone residences and small-scale apartment blocks in order to ensure that indoor air quality is maintained more widely.

PVC floor material is widely used in Korean homes, and people customarily sit or lie on the floor surface. This could potentially put residents of such homes at high risk of exposure to semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). However, there is a current lack of information regarding the degree of SVOC contamination in Korean homes. Therefore, this study was implemented to measure SVOC concentration in the air and house dust in homes and kindergartens, places where children spend long periods of time. The substances analyzed were 2E1H, D6, DEP, TBP, TCEP, DBP, TPP, DOA, and DEHP. Amounts of 2E1H, D6, DEP, DBP, and DEHP were detected in the air of the homes included in the study, and the average air concentrations of DBP and DEHP were 0.53 mu g/m(3) and 0.28 mu g/m(3), respectively. The average dust DEHP concentrations in the rooms of homes and kindergartens were 2,800 mu g/g and 4,350 mu g/g, respectively, showing that higher values were measured in kindergartens. The measured DEHP concentrations in the dust of both homes and kindergartens where PVC floor materials are used were high.

&nbsp;The purpose of this research is to evaluate the economic value of certification of green buildings based on j-reit (Japan Real Estate Investment Trust) owned office buildings. In the recent years, assessment systems for the environmental performance of buildings are being widely used in Japan. Some analyses were conducted in Japan to investigate whether green building certificates have a positive influence on the contract rent. However we need to investigate profits and expenses of the real estate rent to clearly explain the economic benefits of green buildings.<br>&nbsp;In this research, we analyze the office building annual data in Japan which was disclosed by J-REIT. Operating benefits and utilities costs of 657 buildings in January 2014 － December 2014 was analyzed. Regarding the objective office, the total leased area is under 50000 m² and each building was divided into green building certified or Non-certified. Subject green building certifications are Tokyo Top-Level Business Facility and CASBEE (Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency).<br>&nbsp;The net operating incomes of Top-Level Business Facility or CASBEE certified office buildings over 10000 m² of total building area are bigger than that of not certified office buildings. The utilities costs of Top-Level Business Facility certified office buildings are the same as that of not certified office buildings, but the utilities cost of CASBEE certified office buildings is bigger than that of not certified office buildings. The net operating incomes of CASBEE certified office buildings over 3000 m² and less than 10000 m² of total building area are bigger than that of not certified office buildings. The utilities costs of CASBEE certified office buildings over 3000 m² and less than 10000 m² are the same as that of not certified office buildings. The net operating incomes of expired CASBEE certified office buildings over 10000 m² of total building area are bigger than that of not certified office buildings. The utilities costs of expired CASBEE certified office buildings are the same as that of not certified office buildings. Using these results, the environmental performance of Top-Level Business Facility certified office buildings over 10000 m² of total building area and expired CASBEE certified office buildings over 10000 m² of the area, CASBEE certified office buildings over 3000 m² and less than 10000 m² of the area may be high in the value of the real estate.<br>&nbsp;The utilities costs of buildings are not always related to the energy consumption, because an energy source, a type of contract and a contract fee are different in each building. In this survey, the primary energy consumption of CASBEE real estate buildings is correlated with the utilities cost of the buildings. The objective buildings do not install the regional air-conditioning.

Despite the fact that the special characteristics of indoor air pollution make closed environments quite different from outdoor environments, the conceptual ideas for assessing air quality indoors and outdoors are similar. Therefore, the elaboration of International Standards for air quality characterization in view of controlling indoor air quality should resort to this common basis. In this short review we describe the possibilities of standardization of tools dedicated to indoor air quality characterization with a focus on the tools permitting to study the indoor air chemistry. The link between indoor exposure and health as well as the critical processes driving the indoor air quality are introduced. Available International Standards for the assessment of indoor air quality are depicted. The standards comprise requirements for the sampling on site, the analytical procedures, and the determination of material emissions. To date, these standardized procedures assure that indoor air, settled dust and material samples are analyzed in a comparable manner. However, existing International Standards exclusively specify conventional, event-driven target-screening using discontinuous measurement methods for long-lived pollutants. Therefore, this review draws a parallel between physico-chemical processes in indoor and outdoor environments. The achievements in atmospheric sciences also improve our understanding of indoor environments. The community of atmospheric scientists can be both ideal and supporter for researchers in the area of indoor air quality characterization.This short review concludes with propositions for future standardization activities for the chemical characterization of indoor air quality. Future standardization efforts should focus on: (i) the elaboration of standardized measurement methods and measurement strategies for online monitoring of long-lived and short-lived pollutants, (ii) the assessment of the potential and the limitations of non-target screening, (iii) the paradigm shift from event-driven investigations to systematic approaches to characterize indoor environments, and (iv) the development of tools for policy implementation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

This study examines the relationship between individual thermal satisfaction and worker performance. Field measurements and a questionnaire survey were conducted within an organization participating in the COOL BIZ energy conservation campaign. A subjective experiment was also conducted in a climate chamber with eleven Japanese male subjects, testing five scenarios combining operative temperature (25.5 degrees C and 28.5 degrees C), clothing (with and without suits), and cooling items (desk fan, air-conditioned shirt, mesh office chair). From the individual analysis, actual air temperature in the COOL BIZ office was poorly correlated with self-estimated performance, whereas perceived thermal satisfaction correlated well with self-estimated performance (R-2 = 0.944, p < 0.001). The results of the subjective experiment indicate that performance during simulated office work (i.e. multiplication and proof reading tasks) increased with greater individual thermal satisfaction (R-2 = 0.403 and 0.464, p < 0.001). The finding that perceived thermal satisfaction of occupants is reflected in objective measurement of office work performance has practical implications for the evaluation of thermal satisfaction in real offices as a means to boost workplace productivity. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Owing to the enormous damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, a 15% reduction in peak power consumption was required to address the gap between demand and supply capabilities in the summer of 2011. Electricity-saving measures are promoted in offices today for both environmental and safety reasons, and indoor office environments have changed greatly. This paper aims to reveal to what extent workers' awareness of electricity-saving has changed since the earthquake disaster had an impact on energy consumption and productivity. The authors have conducted continuous fieldwork and questionnaire surveys in seven electricity-saving office buildings in the summers of 2011-2013. Additionally, our laboratory's past research data were collected together and analyzed. The results show that excessive indoor air temperatures, such as 28 degrees C, were avoided, and the desk level illuminance greatly decreased, from 750 lux to around 400 lux, after the earthquake. People learned to implement electricity saving in a proper way that does not spoil workers' comfort, and workers' acceptability zone for the indoor environment was extended by the experience of electricity-Saving. Moreover, when we compared individual differences in the way environmental information is perceived, it was shown that differences in the workers' awareness of electricity-saving had a more profound effect on their satisfaction with the indoor environmental quality than those in their gender or age. Mechanical power-saving is definitely important; however, building devices that induce the occupants' energy-saving actions are vital. Our results will be considerably useful to other countries, whether or not they experience a natural disaster. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In Japan, many people feel cold in housing during winter. In this study, focusing on comfortable thermal environment for people sensitive to cold in housing during winter, subjective measurements were carried out experimentally. People sensitive to cold and not so selected as subjects were exposed to climate chamber controlled to 5℃, heating room controlled to 21℃, and non-heating room controlled to 14℃, 16℃, 18℃. The results of this study are as follows: (1) the whole body and hand/foot thermal sensation correlates well with the thermal comfort in both groups of subjects; (2) in case of examining skin temperature of extremities during winter, that of fingers should be measured instead of back of hand and instep, and (3) people sensitive to cold felt cold, especially in their foot during experiment all the time. When examining the comfort of residents in housing, it is very important to considering difference of their constitution.

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the causal relationship for from longitudinal research with health and living environment. Based on a questionnaire longitudinal survey administered online to Japanese women of 3054 in 2011 and 2013, about 1500 people with a history of low back pain, covariance structure analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between satisfaction of living environment, stress-related health and chronic low back pain. The models showed that there was a causal effect from &quot;stress and fatigue&quot; to &quot;chronic back pain&quot;, while a second causal effect was shown from &quot;satisfaction of living environment&quot; to &quot;stress and fatigue.&quot; Taken together, this suggests that &quot;satisfaction of living environment&quot; influences levels of &quot;stress and fatigue&quot; which in turn manifests itself as &quot;chronic low back pain.&quot;

Recently, residences are becoming more insulated and airtight for energy saving action. In such residences, floor heating (radiative system) and air conditioner (convective system) have become widely used. So the thermal comfort in rooms heated by floor heating or air conditioner was compared by the thermal manikin. The experiment for the thermal manikin was performed in the artificial climate chamber. When sensible heat loss became thermal neutrality, the thermal comfort in rooms heated by floor heating or air conditioner was compared by air temperature. In the result, for all conditions air temperature by floor heating was lower than that by air conditioner.

Sorptive materials can be used to improve the air quality by adsorbing harmful chemicals and other pollutants in indoor air. This study aims to (1) investigate the differences in the reduction performance values with changes in surface area ratios of sorptive materials for the two test methods (constant concentration supplying method and emission material method, hereinafter CCSM and EMM); (2) discuss whether the sorption flux "F-s" and equivalent ventilation rate "Q(eq)", which are two ways of representing the results, can accurately represent the reduction performance; and (3) suggest a method for compensating for disparities between the two test methods.Under the standard sorption area condition, CCSM yielded F-s with higher performance than EMM. The evaluation using F-s gave more advantage to a smaller sorption area condition, and CCSM was less influenced by the area than EMM. Changes in the area ratios resulted in changes in F-s, but Q(eq) was less affected. However, for an identical area ratio condition, F-s resulted in steady values, while Q(eq), fluctuated owing to subtle changes in chamber concentrations. Compensation using the HBF (Hoetjer-Berge-Fujii) equation could improve EMM performance value and thus reduce the disparity between the two methods. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami which occurred on March 11, 2011 caused widespread damage and electricity shortage. So the Japanese government has directed large-scale electricity users to curb their consumption by 15 percent of what they used last summer. However, excessive saving electricity forces office workers to be patient, and it can lead to productivity decline. In this study, the field survey and questionnaire survey were conducted in six buildings saving on electricity to study the indoor environment, the workers productivity and energy conservation. As a result, it was found that the rise of temperature leads to the sharp decline of productivity and comfort, and that power saving of lighting made less dissatisfaction for office workers and reduced more electric energy than turning up the air conditioning. Office workers can keep productivity if there are no dissatisfactions for them. Therefore, lowering illuminance is found to be more effective for saving electricity than turning up the air conditioning.

Information on the compositions of construction products is useful to construction designers, builders and occupants to help establish good indoor air quality and building environment. Existing measures to deliver this information, such as labelling or material safety data sheets, have not been adequate for construction products. The study aims to evaluate the status of the current information-delivery system and clarify requirements for a future system. A questionnaire survey on the current status and requirements of an information-delivery system for construction-product compositions was conducted in Japan. In total, 203 manufacturers, including two associations, and 35 users responded. Responses relating to 439 and 226 products from manufacturers and users, respectively, were obtained. Majority of the manufacturers and users responded that a standardized scheme is needed. Large discrepancies were noted between the delivery levels required by users and the actual levels from manufacturers in terms of the information-delivery range and display elements. The limitations of information delivery for manufacturers differed between composite products or equipment and products in which the compositions played an important role in quality and performance. Concerns included the cost and manpower required to examine the compositions for new information-delivery system and the importance of maintaining consistency with existing systems.

Semi-outdoor environment is defined as a grade of environmental control in thermal environmental planning, falling in between indoor and outdoor environment. Thermal adaptation of occupants, together with building and equipment, needs to be taken into account for planning such environment. Behavioral and psychological adaptation was found to be influential on thermal comfort, and context of thermal environment was found to be important to understand the adaptive process from literature review. Environmental context was categorized into social, architectural, and personal elements. A concept model of adaptive thermal comfort in semi-outdoor environment was proposed. Problems concerning application of existing thermal comfort standards were discussed. Adaptive comfort zone, not comfort temperature, needs to be investigated through field surveys considering the Japanese context such as geographical location, climate, degree of environmental control and general-purpose of the architectural space. Adaptive comfort zone needs to be presented together with the definition of environmental context.

Semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) have low volatility and tend to adhere to dust particles. Recently, many scientific papers show that SVOCs may have a health risk, especially affect for children. Wensing showed that infants take dust 10 times more than adults. Considering the health damages and the intake of dust, the risk of infants exposing to SVOCs might be high. Therefore, it is necessary to assess SVOCs pollution situation of the residences and children welfare facilities which are the main life space for infants. Although many results of measurements for the SVOCs concentrations of dust at residences have been reported in Japan and overseas, few of them are at children welfare facilities. In this paper, we measured SVOCs concentrations of dust at four child welfare facilities, to assess the degree of SVOCs pollution in those places.As a result, in many cases the SVOCs concentrations of dust at children welfare facilities were high compared with that of residences. Also, higher SVOCs concentrations were observed in rooms with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) flooring materials compared with that in rooms with wood-based flooring material.

Some field surveys were conducted in the offices in Tokyo to investigate worker&#039;s comfort and productivity under the saving electricity after the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, we need nationwide survey because saving electricity is ongoing all over Japan now. In this study, we conducted web-based questionnaire in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka to know the workers&#039; awareness and measures of saving electricity. As a result, similar saving electricity measures were implemented in three areas and lowering illuminance made less dissatisfaction than turning up the set point of the air conditioning. It is estimated that workers&#039; awareness of saving electricity was different because of the areal targeted value of saving electricity. Workers&#039; satisfaction of the office environment was affected to a large degree by not only indoor environment or their gender and age, but also their feelings.

The effects of indoor air quality on symptoms, perceptions, task performance, cerebral blood flow, fatigue, and mental effort of individuals working in an office were investigated. Twenty-four right-handed Danish female subjects in an office were exposed in groups of two at a time to two air pollution levels created by placing or removing a pollution source (i.e. a used carpet) behind a screen. During the exposure, the subjects performed four different office tasks presented on a computer monitor. The tasks were performed at two paces: normal and maximum. When the pollution source was present, the air quality was perceived to be worse and more errors were made when subjects typed text at the maximum pace. No other changes in subjective responses, performance, or physiological measurements were associated with different exposures. Although cerebral blood flow and voice analysis did not detect any effects caused by modifying pollution exposure, they were well correlated with increased mental effort when the tasks were performed at maximum pace and subjectively reported fatigue, which increased during the course of exposure, respectively. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Climate change and the urgency of decarbonizing the built environment are driving technological innovation in the way we deliver thermal comfort to occupants. These changes, in turn, seem to be setting the directions for contemporary thermal comfort research. This article presents a literature review of major changes, developments, and trends in the field of thermal comfort research over the last 20years. One of the main paradigm shift was the fundamental conceptual reorientation that has taken place in thermal comfort thinking over the last 20years; a shift away from the physically based determinism of Fanger's comfort model toward the mainstream and acceptance of the adaptive comfort model. Another noticeable shift has been from the undesirable toward the desirable qualities of air movement. Additionally, sophisticated models covering the physics and physiology of the human body were developed, driven by the continuous challenge to model thermal comfort at the same anatomical resolution and to combine these localized signals into a coherent, global thermal perception. Finally, the demand for ever increasing building energy efficiency is pushing technological innovation in the way we deliver comfortable indoor environments. These trends, in turn, continue setting the directions for contemporary thermal comfort research for the next decades.

The Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011 caused widespread damage, especially electricity shortage. Therefore the Japanese government has directed large-scale electricity users to curb their consumption by 15 percent of what they used in the previous summer. Most companies in Tokyo were saving electricity by reducing their use of lights and air conditioning systems in their offices. decline. Few field investigations have been conducted under special conditions including after big disasters. Purpose of this study is to find efficient strategies for saving electricity that do not decrease workers&#039; productivity so much. In this report, energy consumption of existing building have analyzed and prepared between before the great east Japan earthquake and after. Further, it experimented on the conditions which changed an illumination setup and an air-conditioning setup under power-saving environment, and conducted the sensitivity analysis of each item in analyzing the power consumption on each condition.

A human thermoregulation model called JOS-2 was developed based on the Stolwijk model and our previously developed (in 2002) JOS model. In this model, the whole body was idealized as 17 spherical or cylindrical body segments (Head, Neck, Chest, Pelvis, right and left Shoulders, right and left Arms, right and left Hands, right and left Thighs, right and left Legs, and right and left Feet). The Head segment consists of four layers-core, first layer, second layer, and skin-and the other segments consist of two layers-core and skin). All body segments have artery and vein blood pools. In addition, the limb segments have a detailed vascular system consisting of superficial veins and arteriovenous anastomoses (AVA). Thermoregulatory mechanisms such as vasoconstriction, vasodilation, perspiration, and shivering are considered. The physical parameters of this model, such as height, weight, sex, age, body fat percentage, basal metabolic rate, and cardiac index, can be changed. This paper describes the equations and coefficients as well as the model validation for stable, nonuniform, transient conditions. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A questionnaire was conducted on web targeting 1,000 females to clarify the influence of residential environment and satisfaction with it on occupants&#039; stress and health. Female occupants of 76.8% reported that they have been feeling more than 1 kind of stress. Especially the stress due to their residential environment continued for long period. A covariance structural model on the relationship among residential environment, stress and health of occupants was developed. It was shown that 73% of &#039;health&#039; could be explained with 5 factors, &#039;stress&#039;, &#039;satisfaction level with residential environment&#039;, &#039;relaxation effect&#039;, &#039;total hours of relaxation&#039;, &#039;total score of CASBEE health check list&#039;. The model revealed that total score of CASBEE health check list had positive effect on satisfaction level with residential environment and subjective health, while negative effect on stress. The model indicated that satisfaction level with residential environment had a great impact on the levels of stress and subjective health. It was observed that total hours of relaxation had greater impact on the effects of it for working females, while total score of CASBEE health check list had on satisfactio

Residential and commercial building sector accounts for more than 30% of final energy consumption in Japan and an increase from the past is remarkable. In order to realize a low-carbon society, further strengthening of energy saving measures is essential. Japanese government is considering a mandatory policy scheme which forces all residential and non-residential buildings to meet the energy efficiency standard by 2020. This research aims to marshal trends on regulations for energy efficiency of residential and non-residential buildings within countries which implements advanced measures, and to obtain referential knowledge for Japan&#039;s energy efficiency measures.

Little is known of workers' comfort and productivity under special conditions, particularly after large disasters. The Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 caused enormous damage, leading to a 15% peak-power reduction to address power shortages. We investigated occupants' comfort and productivity in five office buildings in Tokyo during the summer season under mandatory electricity savings implemented after the earthquake. We changed the temperature, illumination and ventilation rate settings to investigate their effects on thermal comfort, productivity and energy levels. Occupants were more receptive towards decreased illumination than increased temperature. Awareness of power savings was increased, with more than 90% of people accepting the poor indoor environment in the light of recent events. Set-point temperature and clothing recommendations made by the Super Cool Biz campaign were followed in most offices. However, self-estimated productivity was 6.6% lower than the previous summer. Thus, electricity-saving strategies that do not affect productivity are required.

本研究は，自然素材と工業化建材を用いた実験住宅を建設し，ホルムアルデヒド吸着による室内濃度低減効果および施工段階別の化学物質濃度測定による原因特定の可能性を検討した。自然素材を特徴とする内装建材と工業化された建材を持つ実験住宅を建設し，ホルムアルデヒド濃度（DNPH-HPLC法）とVOC濃度（固相吸着-GC-MS分析）を施工段階別および1年間経過後までの期間に渡って測定した。<br>その結果，ホルムアルデヒドは，断熱材内部から気密層に生じた隙間を通り室内への流入が見られた。これから気密層の外側に位置している材料からの汚染物質放散量を確認することが必要であり，従来考慮してこなかった外壁裏面等に用いられる材料に関しても放散量を確認する必要がある。またTVOC濃度は，壁施工後および床板施工後に濃度が上昇し，その後，比較的長期間高い濃度が維持された。工法の乾式化が進む中，現場で使用する塗料・接着剤といった蒸散支配型建材に加え，自然素材系建材である左官材に混入されている化学物質への配慮が重要である。また，空気汚染源の特定には施工段階別の空気質測定（特に塗料や接着剤を用いる湿式工事を行った後の測定）を行い，その結果を用いて養生期間を設定することが望ましいことが分かった。

Air-cleaning systems using a low concentration of chlorine dioxide (ClO2) gas for prevention against infection by the influenza virus have been developed. ClO2 gas is easily decomposed by indoor climate factors. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of indoor environmental factors on the decrease of ClO2 gas concentration. The reaction (decay) rate constant was also determined. High air temperatures and light irradiation accelerated the decrease of ClO2 gas concentration; the latter had the greatest influence on the decrease of ClO2 gas concentration among the conditions. A quicker decay of concentration and greater value of the reaction rate constant of ClO2 was found when a UV lamp was used; this is because the gas absorbs irradiation in the UV range. ClO2 gas concentration was significantly reduced when an evaporative humidifier was employed due to adsorption and a chemical reaction between the gas and the filter in the humidifier.

麻疹や結核など飛沫核感染経路で伝播する感染症では陰圧病室での隔離が不可欠である．これまでの研究で，陰圧病室の飛沫核濃度を低減するレイアウトを提案したが，ドアを開放すると病室内の飛沫核が直ちに廊下へと漏洩する課題が未解決であった．一方，プッシュプル型換気装置は，空間の仕切りとして漏洩を防止する用途では検討されてこなかった．そこで，ドアを開放したままでも病室内の空気が漏洩せず，室圧のバランスを崩さないプッシュプル気流の条件を検討した．廊下と前室の間のドアの代わりにプッシュプル装置を設置することを想定し，数値流体力学的手法を用いて解析した．陰圧病室で発生した飛沫核の廊下への漏洩数で評価した結果，プッシュ装置の風速が0.05～0.3 m/sのとき，飛沫核の漏洩が少なかった．プル装置の風速は0.2 m/s以上，プッシュプル装置の幅は大きいほど，プッシュ装置とプル装置の間隔は広いほど，飛沫核の漏洩が少なかった．また同じ風量の場合，風速を2倍にするよりもプッシュプルの幅を2倍にした方が，漏洩が少なかった．プッシュプル気流は局所排気装置としてだけでなく，空間の仕切りとしても有効である．<br>

近年、業務分野の建築における空調方式として、個別分散型HPパッケージシステム、いわゆるマルチ型パッケージエアコンが、その利便性、経済性などを背景に比率を占めるようになっている。さらに冷暖同時型、高効率化など技術も高度化しており、空調システム選定における優位性を高めている。空気調和として最少の消費エネルギーで良好な居住環境を確保するという命題はありながら、マルチ型パッケージエアコンは、空調システムの効率評価の観点では十分な知見が得られていない状況があった。本研究では、実建物におけるマルチ型パッケージエアコンの性能評価、ならびにシミュレーションにより設備設計への知見をまとめることを目的としている。第一報では、実建物における年間にわたる性能評価により、システムCOPの推定値を算出した。

Phthalates are used as plasticizers and flame retardants in building materials and phthalates emitted in indoor environment tend to adhere to house dust. According to Wensing, infants take dust 10times as adults, so an investigation on the concentration of phthalates in house dust is important. This study examined the concentration of phthalate in house dust in Japan and Korea. Specially, Korea house much used polyvinyl flooring as floor product and also used floor heating system during the winter. As a result, the amount of the collected dust per square meter in Japan house was more than the one in Korea house. In addition, the amount of house dust in Japan was more than the one in Korea house, even in under dust 63μm. And the concentration of DEHP in the houses investigated in Korea was higher than 50 percentile in Germany and some Korea houses were higher than 95 percentile in Germany. Japan houses investigated had lower concentration of DEHP in house dust than 95 percentile in Germany, and some house in Japan were lower than 50 percentile in Germany.

For the improvement of the air quality of indoors, it is necessary to determine the kinds and the concentration of the chemical substances that emit from building products and production parts. On this study, the heating temperature, the amount of the nitrogen filling, and the heating time, etc. was executed as an important item related to the measurement of bag method. It was a tendency that the recovery percentage raises with the rise of the heating temperature as a result of examining the recovery percentage by using the standard test solution, too. Therefore, 65 degrees of the heating temperature is preferable. However, the recovery percentage is less than 80% at even 65 degrees in heating temperature, and it has been understood that it is unsuitable in the measurement in the bag method in Tetradecan. In addition, it has been understood that the bag value calculated from the chamber method becomes small more than the bag value calculated from the bag method.

The environment of workplace in an office involved in creative work was evaluated in 2005 and 2006. The M Company has installed partition based task/ambient conditioning systems (TAC) and several environment-friendly systems, such as double-skin and thermal-storage structures. It was intended to investigate the influence of the worker's behavior and task conditioning on worker's thermal comfort and productivity. In this survey, immediate thermal environment and worker's behavior were measured, and occupants' surveys of thermal comfort and feeling of fatigue were conducted. We found that both activity level of occupant and exposed thermal environment is greatly different one by one. It is suggested that an increase in metabolic rate according to worker's behavior influenced on their thermal comfort. Based on the knowledge obtained from this investigation, needs for TAC are discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conventional multi-zonal ventilation measurement methods by multiple types of perfluorocarbon tracers use a number of different gases equal to the number of zones (n). The possible n x n+n airflows are estimated from the mass balance of the gases and the airflow balance. However, some airflows may not occur because of inter-zonal geometry, and the introduction of unnecessary, unknown parameters can impair the accuracy of the estimation. Also, various error factors often yield an irrational negative airflow rate. Conventional methods are insufficient for the evaluation of error. This study describes a way of using the least-squares technique to improve the precision of estimation and to evaluate reliability. From the equations' residual, the error variance-covariance matrix Lambda(q) of the estimated airflow rate error is deduced. In addition, the coefficient of determinant using the residual sum of squares and total variation is introduced. Furthermore, the error matrix (m)Lambda(q) from the measurement errors in the gas concentration and gas emission rate is deduced. The discrepancy ratio of the model premises is defined by dividing the diagonal elements of the former by those of the latter. Moreover, the index of irrationality of the estimated negative airflow rate is defined, based on the different results of the three estimation methods. Some numerical experiments are also carried out to verify the flow rate estimation and the reliability evaluation theory. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

近年の空気質への関心の高まりを受けて、日本自動車工業会は車室内のVOCs低減に関する自主規制を公表した。しかし、実測データの公表事例が少ない。そこで、本研究では車室内の実測から放散しているVOCs成分と濃度の把握を行なった。この結果より、トルエン、キシレンなどの成分の低減が行なわれている車両であってもTVOC濃度は低減されていない場合があることが分かった。また、発生ガス濃縮装置を用いて部品から放散する成分を測定した結果、SVOCs成分も多く放散しており、VOCs同様に低減対策が必要であることが分かった。更に、トルエンの放散濃度が一番高かった部品のトルエンの低減対策により、車室内のトルエン濃度を下げることができた。

温冷感を一定に保ったSET^*一定環境で、定常状態および代謝量が上昇した非定常状態において、湿度が在室者の熱的快適性に及ぼす影響を検討することを目的とした被験者実験を行った。実験条件は、温冷感を一定に保つため等SET^*とし、SET^*26℃、28℃の2条件を設定した(代謝量1.2met時)。各SET^*条件に対し、相対湿度4条件(35%RH、55%RH、65%RH、75%RH)を設定し、空気温度を調節した。本実験で設定したような熱的中立に近い等SET^*条件では、定常状態において、環境の湿度が被験者の温熱感覚(温冷感、熱的快不快感、熱的受容度)、湿度感覚(乾湿感、湿度受容度)に及ぼす影響は小さかった。本実験ではSET^*を一定に保つために、湿度を低下させた場合、空気温度を上昇させている。このため、等SET^*条件下では湿度が変化しても被験者の熱的快適性が等価に保たれていると考えられる。代謝量が上昇した場合、高湿度環境では、代謝量が上昇した際の温冷感、熱的不快感が高くなり、乾燥感が低下した。SET^*一定条件では、湿度の上昇に伴い皮膚水分量は高くなった。

Subjective experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of humidity on human comfort and productivity under transient conditions from hot and humid environment to thermally neutral condition. Two climate chambers, "Chamber 1" and "Chamber 2", adjoined each other were used for this study. Subjects were exposed to 30 degrees C/70%RH air in Chamber 1 for 15 min with 2.0 met of metabolic rate. Then they moved into Chamber 2, where 4 humidity conditions, 30, 40, 50 and 70%RH were examined. Air temperature was adjusted to keep SET* constant at 25.2 degrees C for all conditions. Subjects were exposed in Chamber 2 for 180 min performing 2 kinds of simulated office work.Positive effects of low humidity on subjective pleasantness were found under transient condition at low humidity due to more evaporation from human body, while no significant difference in thermal sensation and humidity sensation among 4 relative humidity levels was obtained. Subjective performance was found to be at the same level under all conditions. However, subjects reported to be more tired at 70%RH after humidity step change. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Subjective experiments with task conditioning systems, 3DU(+), PEM, TU, and RCU were conducted to investigate the effect of three different types of Task air-conditioning systems on thermal comfort in a climate chamber. The chamber was conditioned at 28 degrees C/50%RH with task systems and 26 degrees C/50%RH without them. Under the condition with the task conditioning systems, the average rating of comfort sensation was between comfortable (0) and slightly uncomfortable (-1). For males it was between -0.5 and -0.7 and for females between -0.3 and -0.4. This was equal to or even better than that in condition without task system. It was found that these systems were effective in providing thermal comfort. The parts to which subjects wanted to diffuse air were different for each system. However, the individual control of task conditioning system contributed to create the preferred environment. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In recent years, natural ventilation system is widely used for sustainable buildings. However, systems without proper managements and maintenances are often observed. Noise and pollution are major problems in the urban environment. Wide investigation was conducted for 72 buildings. The reason of less use of natural ventilation system was investigated by the field measurements and questionnaire to the designers, building managers and occupants. The reasons are classified into three categories, 1) complains of occupants, 2) control system of natural ventilation, 3) clear understanding of the natural ventilation system by building managers and occupants. It is found that the actual use time of natural ventilation system tends to decrease and that the designers need to keep contact to the building managers and check whether the system run without problem for long time after it starts to be operated. Sustainable operation was discussed in this paper.

The current status of Japanese office buildings is taken as an example and the balance of environmental concerns and office productivity are discussed. To promote the effort for energy conservation, it is important to estimate the indoor environmental quality from the aspect of office workers' productivity. Our experiments on the effect of moderately high temperature on productivity are noted. They showed that the effects of thermal environment on task performance were contradictory among the task types. However, the subjects complained of the feeling of mental fatigue more, and more cerebral blood flow was required to maintain the same level of task performance in the hot condition than at a thermal neutral condition. For evaluating task performance, the cost of maintaining performance, namely, fatigue and mental effort, is important in evaluating and predicting productivity. For long periods of exposure, indoor air temperature has effects on workers' performance.

This study reports results from two different experiments examining reactions between ozone and common building materials that can lead to the formation of secondary products and particulate-phase materials. Monitored species include sub-micron particles and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In the first set of experiments, various building materials were placed in a 20 L stainless-steel chamber and exposed to ozone. The materials included expanded polystyrene, a natural rubber adhesive, cedar board, Japanese Cyprus board and silver fir board, as well as d-limonene, which is a known constituent of certain woods and cleaning products. The combination of ozone and either d-limonene, cedar board or cypress board produced sub-micron particles, with most of the increase occurring in the size range of 0.01-0.5 mu m diameter. This was not observed for the other materials. In the case of cedar board, the consequence of ozone exposure over an extended time interval was monitored. As the exposure time elapsed, the concentration of sub-micron particles moderately decreased. In the second set of experiments, unwaxed or waxed plastic tiles were placed in the 20 L chamber and exposed to ozone. Sub-micron particles and organic compounds were measured during the course of the experiments. In the case of the waxed tile, the number of 0.0 1-1.0 mu m size particles grew about 50 x 108 particles m(-3); particle growth was significantly less for the un-waxed tile. For both the waxed and un-waxed tiles, the emission rates of heptane, nonane, nonanal, and decanal increased after ozone was added to the supply air. (However, it is not clear if some or all of this production was due to ozone reacting with the sorbent used for sampling or with compounds captured by the sorbent.) This study provides further evidence that ozone-initiated reactions with building materials can be a significant source of both sub-micron particles and secondary organic compounds in indoor environments. (C) 2006 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Subjective experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of humidity on human comfort and productivity under transient conditions from hot and humid environment to thermally neutral condition. Two climate chambers, "Chamber 1" and "Chamber 2", adjoined eath other were used for this study. Subjects were exposed to 30℃/70%RH air in Chamber 1 for 15 minutes with 2.0 met of metabolic rate. Then they moved into Chamber 2, where 4 humidity conditions, 30%RH, 40%RH, 50%RH and 70%RH were examined. Air temperature were adjusted to keep SET constant at 25.2℃ for all conditions. Subjects were exposed in Chamber 2 for 180 minutes performing 2 kinds of simulated office work. Skin wettedness and skin moisture declined more at low relative humidity just after moving into Chamber 2. Subjects reported greater pleasantness at 30%RH and 40%RH than at 50%RH and 70%RH, while no significant difference in thermal sensation, comfort sensation and humidity sensation among 4 relative humidity levels was obtained. Though significant differences in the task performance among conditions were not found for 3 hours test, subjective complaints related to fatigue at 50%RH and 70%RH were higher than at 30%RH and 40%RH.

The impact of the work motivation on the occupants' work performance of serial one-figure addition task and proofreading task was studied in two conditions, i.e., the condition A under cool condition (22℃) and the condition B under neutral condition (25℃). During the occupancy of 120 minutes under each condition, the subjects performed the above tasks with financially motivated situation and without motivated situation. The subjects also answered the questionnaire, which asked the indoor environmental quality and sick building syndrome symptoms during the conditions. It was found that there was significant difference in the performance of theses two tasks between the motivated situation and the non-motivated situation. Under the motivated situation, the performance curve of the addition task performed under condition A and that under condition B were alike in shape. The shape of the performance curve under condition A with non-motivated situation was similar to those with motivated situation. The performance of addition task was well correlated with the thermal acceptability vote for the motivated situation. On the other hand, the good correlation was not found between the performance and thermal acceptability for the non-motivated situation.

In Korea, sick house syndrome has been a major social concern recently. From May 2004, Indoor Air Quality Management Act regarding public buildings and newly built apartment buildings has been being enforced in Korea. Korean government supports researches on the actual conditions of this subject and makes efforts to regulate indoor air pollution. This study has been conducted to understand the present state of indoor air pollution by chemical pollutants in newly built Korean housing. Including two model houses, seven newly built houses were surveyed in January and in June. Investigation was conducted on indoor air concentration of chemical pollutants, passive flux from building materials, ventilation rate, temperature and relative humidity. We used a passive measurement methods developed by us, which are composed of passive diffusive samplers, ADSEC (Advanced Diffusive Sampling Emission Cell) for passive flux, vials containing PET for ventilation rate. In all of the surveyed houses except model houses, the concentrations of formaldehyde and VOCs which main ingredients were toluene, methylbenzene and xylene were high and exceeded the guideline value of Japan. The air exchange rates were 0.2〜0.3 ACH under the closed windows and without mechanical ventilation operation according to the indoor air standard sampling method in newly built apartment buildings.

This study discusses the reasons for the inconsistency between the glass and the acrylic desiccator methods which have been used in Japan to classify building materials for the emission rate of formaldehyde. Evidences from experiments showed that the theoretical equations used in the glass desiccator method were not applicable to the acrylic desiccator method. Three-dimensional models for the two desiccators were built for numerical calculations to analyze emission, diffusion and absorption associated with the desiccator methods. The results showed that the time to reach the steady state in the acrylic desiccator method is much long which deviates from the conditions of the equations to apply. Smaller exposed area of the testing materials and larger volume of the desiccator in the acrylic desiccator method are included as the major factors for the delay in the formation of steady state.

Concentrations of acetaldehyde and the ventilation rates were measured in an experimental house for three years. And the emission rates from the materials were measured using small chambers. 1) The concentrations of acetaldehyde changed with the temperature for three years. 2) The influence of the temperature and the concentration upon the emission rate of acetaldehyde was lower than the influence in the case of formaldehyde. 3) The emission rates of acetaldehyde from the materials in three years were as same as the rate from the materials in two years.

Recently, indoor air pollution caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from building materials is known as sick building syndrome or multiple chemical sensitivity. As the countermeasure for this indoor air chemical pollution problems, building code was amended in 2002 and it was enforced in 2003. Labeling system of building material corresponding to formaldehyde emission rate is also started in Japan. Although the emission rate measurement with small test chamber based on JIS A 1901 has already been conducted, the existing methods for emission rate measurement require large-scale instruments and they are not always suitable for measuring a large number of building materials. This paper reports the results of numerical analysis of VOCs emission rate from building materials in various passive type flux measurement cell and the performance of these cells are to be clear. Furthermore, in order to supplement the emission rate data from various passive type flux measurement cell, we propose the index of effective diffusion length scale, 'L_d" and report on the analytical results.

In this study, office work productivity was evaluated by performance and fatigue. Experiments were conducted under Task and Ambient Lighting (TAL) system, to examine the effect of controlling illuminance level on work desk with task lights. Twelve male subjects were exposed in the experimental chamber conditioned at 25℃, 40%RH, and 700lx. Three conditions were compared, which were 700lx under Ambient Lighting system, 700lx under TAL system with controllable task lights, and 700lx under TAL system with uncontrollable task lights. When the subjects could not control the task lights, performance was significantly lower than that when they can control the task lights. Although there was no significant difference on the complaints of fatigue between controllable and uncontrollable task light, the correlation between fatigue and performance showed that 10% increase of complaints on fatigue might result in 6.5% decrease of performance. We also calculated the cost effectiveness of productivity in the case of this experiment. The cost effect increased by performance improvement was big because of the high personnel cost. The individual control system in the light environment was cost-effectiveness.

空気温度、相対湿度が被験者の熱的快適性に及ぼす影響を検討するための被験者実験を行った。空気温度25℃、28℃、30℃の3条件を設定し、それぞれの空気温度条件に対して、30%RH、50%RH、70%RHの3湿度条件を設定した。被験者として、健康な大学生年齢の男女各36名(計72名)が参加した。被験者は、実験中オフィスワークを模擬した作業を行い、3時間曝露された。定常状態における温冷感、熱的快不快感、熱的受容度は、空気温度が高い条件又は相対湿度が高い条件で湿度の影響を大きく受けたが、熱的中立に近い条件では湿度の影響は小さかった。一定温度環境では、湿度が乾湿感に与える影響は大きかった。一方、30%RH、50%RH一定湿度環境下で異なる温度条件を比較すると、空気温度が乾湿感に与える影響は小さいことが分かった。この実験結果を、田辺・木村らによって早稲田大学において行われた被験者実験及びカンサス州立大学においてRohlesらによって行われた実験と比較した。日本人、米国人とも温冷感申告はよく似た傾向を示すことが分かった。また、PMVよりSET^*の方が温冷感申告値、熱的快不快感申告値と高い相関関係を示していた。

This paper presents a method to develop and tune HVAC system models with BMS data using recurrent neural networks (RNN). To update RNN models automatically online, we eliminate ad hoc adjustment technique in three points. One is in selection of inputs variables. We propose a method of calculating the necessity of input variables with using connections' weights of neurons. Second is in the selection of hidden layers unit numbers. We introduce "Cross-validation" method and it gives criterion to evaluate parametric model. Last is in selection of training data. We apply cluster analysis to BMS data to evaluate scarcity of data. Proposed approaches are tested real measurements of actual buildings in Japan.

The human thermoregulation model COM (Complex Thermal Environment Comfort Model) was developed, incorporating the blood flow model for extremities and the conductive heat transfer model at contacting skin surfaces. The whole body model has 17 body segments, each consisting of 2 compartments for core and skin. Each core compartment of extremities has artery and vein blood pool in its center. The central blood compartment exchanges heat with blood pools and the tissues except extremities. The heat balance equations for each tissue are described. The current model is able to predict fairly well for the body temperature distribution under unsteady state conditions.

Subjective experiments with a desktop based task conditioning system were carried out to investigate the benefits of system in an office like chamber. The experiments were conducted under three different combinations of ambient air temperature and relative humidity, (1) 27℃/40%RH, (2) 30℃/40%RH, and (3) 30℃/70%RH. Each of 16 college age subjects was exposed to the three different experimental room air conditions. There were six supply air flow patterns for task air conditioning, which parameters included isothermal air flow and non-isothermal airflow with three different air velocities. Setting of task condition was fixed at first, and then the subjects were allowed to control the environment freely after certain period in the subjective experiments. Thermal sensation, airflow sensation, and other variable were investigated. The way the subjects controlled the task system was also monitored. It was considered that the task conditioning system could keep subjects thermally comfortable with their ambient temperature higher than condition without it. Questionnaire responses under the 'preferred air' condition revealed the importance of adjustment of task conditioning.

The concentrations of formaldehyde and the ventilation rates were measured in an experimental house for two years. The emission rates from the materials were separately measured by using of a small chamber. It was found that the concentrations in the house was increased during the summer season. The total emission amount in the ventilated room was about 10 times as large as that in the non-ventilated room. The emission rates from the materials in the ventilated room were 70% of those from the materials in the non-ventilated room. Emission from particle board was lasted for two years experiment.

本研究では, 被験者が風速を自分の好みに合わせて自由に調節できる条件と調節できない条件を設け, 風速の個別制御がオフィスワークにおける知的生産性に与える影響を評価することを目的とし, 人工気候室において被験者実験を行った.典型的なオフィスワークを模擬したコンピュータ作業を被験者に課した.知的生産性の評価には, 作業成績だけでなく, 作業者の疲労度も併せて測定し評価を行った.人工気候室は, 空気温度31℃, 放射温度31℃, 相対湿度50%に制御した.風速の調節が可能な条件の方が, 調節不可能な条件よりも有意に気流を受け入れられる側の申告となった.作業成績による評価では, 風速を調節可能及び不可能な条件間で有意な差は認められなかった.安静後およびタイピング作業後において, 風速を被験者自身が調節可能な条件の方が, 不可能な条件よりも, 有意に作業意欲減退に関する疲労症状の訴え率が小さかった.風速を自分自身で調節できることにより, 作業者の精神的疲労を低下させる可能性が示された.

A large chamber for measurement of VOCs emission rates from building materials and furniture was developed. The chamber system is consisted of a stainless inner chamber operated slightky above atmospheric pressure, an outer chamber, which controls temperature of the inner chamber, and an air control unit, which supplies purified air. It is able to control humidity and ventilation rate of the inner chamber. The measurement of YOCs emission rates from system kitchen units were performed using the large chamber.

Synopsis : A modified 65MN(Multi-Nodes) thermoregulation model is tested for the evaluation of the skin temperature distributionin each body part under solar radiation. The present model can be also applicable for the coupled analysis of CFD and radiation. Skin surface temperature distributions predicted by this model are compared with those by subjective experiments in the real scale experimental atrium under solar radiation. Predicted each skin surface temperature almost corresponds to that of subjective experiment with the accuracy around 1 degree Celsius difference. However, the prediction accuracy on the legs and arms is poor by comparison with that on other body parts, which must be required the improvement of prediction accuracy on the legs and arms. As a whole, the present model is a useful tool for the prediction of skin surface temperature distribution under solar radiation.

The purpose of this survey is to clarify the status of standards on ventilation requirements for residential buildings in European and North American countries. This paper reports the minimum ventilation rate for the residential buildings in eleven countries which are described in the literatures. The airflow rate and air change rate are calculated for a model house proposed by The Architectural Institute of Japan. As a result, the values of air change rate is around 0.5 ACH in almost all countries.

Subjective experiments with a non-isothermal task conditioning system were conducted to investigate impacts of the system on thermal comfort and productivity in a climate chamber of Kanto-Gakuin University. Japan. All subjects participated in 'default condition test: 26℃/50%RH' at first. Then a half of the same subjects participated in 'standard condition test: 26℃/50%RH' and the remainder subjects participated in 'task-ambient test: 30℃/50%RH+TAC', just one week later again separately. Thermal, humidity, comfort sensations, and other psychological factors were investigated. The way the subjects controlled the task system was also monitored. In addition to that, subjective productivity was investigated from the subjective, physiological/mental, and performance assessment points of view. It was considered that the task conditioning system could keep people thermally comfortable even in 30℃/50%RH condition. Local thermal sensation was improved with TAC operation. Subjective symptom voting showed that the TAC operation had advantage to alleviate fatigue compared to the case without it.

Resently, Task/Ambient Air Conditioning System is widely used for improving the thermal environment and meeting the individual requirements for thermal comfort condition. The purpose of this study is to clarify the thermal comfort of Task Unit with isothermal air flow. In this study, we carried out the experiments at ambient air temperatures of 24, 26, 28, 30℃ and supply air velocity of 0.34, 0.69, 1.17, 1.77, 2.50m/s using the Task Unit. From the measurement results, the cooling effect of the upper body was confirmed by the thermal manikin experiment. Thermal sensation votes were strongly related with ambient air temperature. Under the 28℃ condition, thermal sensation vote reached nearly neutral by using 0.34, 0.69m/s isothermal air flow. In the preferred velocity conditions, subjects felt the air flow more preferable than fixed velocity conditions. The effectiveness of this Task Unit system was confirmed under moderate high temperature condition.

Subjective experiments were conducted both in summer and winter in order to clarify the effects of humidity environment and indoor chemical pollutants on subjective comfort and productivity, and evaluate the seasonal difference of their reactions. Subjects were exposed to the three levels of humidity conditions and two indoor air quality levels performing the simulated office works. Concentration of formaldehyde was lower in low humidity environment. The effects of environmental humidity and indoor air quality on subjective thermal comfort were moderate under thermally neutral conditions in both seasons. Perceived air quality was affected by indoor air quality under the polluted condition and by humidity environment under the clean condition. Irritations of mucous were found under polluted conditions in winter though they were not found in summer. Environmental humidity had larger effects on skin moisture than indoor air quality. Subjective performance was higher under clean condition than polluted condition with same humidity. Subjective performance was higher and their dificulty of concentration was lower under high humidity than that under low humidity in winter. The seasonal differences of eye dryness, BUT and skin moisture were found.

In January 2003, JIS A1901 on "Determination of the emission of volatile organic compounds and aldehydes for building products -Small chamber method" was published. We have proposed and developed a small chamber for determining chemical emission rates from building materials. In this paper, the performance characteristics of small chamber were examined especially background concentration, airtightness and mass transfer coefficient in the chamber. The performance test method was proposed because that was not clearly stated in related standards. The measurement method for mass transfer coefficient by used the filter paper is applicable for the calibration with the measurement for evaporation-controlled materials. Several small chambers have been used to determine chemical emissions for building materials. However, it is difficult to compare with the result from different chambers. In this paper, formaldehyde concentration with two small chambers was discussed by the relation with loading factor (L) and ventilation rate (n). It was observed that it has possibility to compare with the linear of n/L versus 1/C with used the equilibrium concentration for the segment.

Emission rates of aldehydes and VOCs from wall coverings and powder type adhesives for wall coverings were investigated by using a small chamber. First, the measurements of emission rates were carried out for 16 types of wall covering materials. It was observed that the emission of formaldehyde from one of the samples was 17μg/m^2h after one day, though that from almost all samples was less than 2μg/m^2h. The emission from wall coverings was much lower than the other building materials like floorings. Next, the measurements of emission rates were carried out for 3 types of powder type adhesives for wall covering materials. The emission for TVOC was very low with around 25μg/m^2h, but one of them for formaldehyde was high with 40μg/m^2h. It was found that all powder type adhesives were not low emission.

Surface weighting factors of the whole human body for both standing and seated postures are calculated based on the numerical calculation of angle factors for the simple prediction of the thermal radiation field. To verify the validity of these factors, they are compared with previous results by Nakamura or Olesen. As a result, surface weighting factors are different from previous results which are always constant independent of the scale of indoor spaces. Especially, surface weighting factor to the under surface for a standing posture is approximately 4 times larger than that of Nakamura in the small indoor spaces. The position of human body and the scale of indoor spaces have influence on surface weighting factors. In addition, appropriate surface weighting factors are proposed corresponding to the scale of indoor spaces, which enables to the accurate prediction of the thermal radiation field.

In order to clarify the effects of low humidity caused by the use of different types of contact lenses, the subjective experiments were carried out during the summer season. Total of 37 college-aged subjects, namely 10 ones with naked eyes, 7 with hard contact lenses, 10 with soft contact lenses and 10 with glasses, were exposed to 4 different conditions for 180 minutes. In all conditions, SET^* was kept constant at 25.2℃. As the results of experiments, the sensations of eye dryness and discomfort caused by wearing contact lenses were observed. Break up time of hard contact lenses wearers tended to be shorter than that with naked eyes, while the environmental humidity did not affect on their break up time. It was concluded that the effects of wearing contact lenses on subjects' eyes were stronger than that of environmental humidity.

A questionnaire survey on the possession of electric appliances and its influence on the energy consumption in household were conducted in 1996. It was found that the increase in the consumption of residential electricity was due to the use of higher number of electric appliances. This reflects the higher economic status of the household and their life style. The relationship between electric consumption for lighting and others and the influencing factor is evaluated by using the multi-variate analysis. The results of this study are expected to provide fundamental information in order to enhance residents' awareness of the importance of energy conservation.

Subjective experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of environmental condition of buffer space on thermal comfort in succeeding environment. Climate chamber was divided into 3 rooms and controlled to represent indoor, buffer, and outdoor spaces, where subjects made successive transitions from indoor to outdoor and back. Two separate thermal sensation scales were used to distinguish subjective votes describing the thermal state of environment and subject himself. A clear impact of environmental condition was observed on physiological parameters, though only minor influence was found for thermal and comfort sensations in post-transition period. The effect was negligible 30 minutes after transition.

Subjective experiments were conducted in a climatic chamber to evaluate the effect of thermal environment on productivity. Chamber was conditioned at operative temperatures of 25.5℃, 28℃, or 33℃. The effects of thermal environment on task performance were modest and contradictory among the task types. According to the evaluation of fatigue feeling, the subjects most complained of mental fatigue at 33℃. The cerebral blood oxygenation was monitored by the near infrared spectroscopy. Concentration of total and oxygenated hemoglobin increased and that of deoxygenated hemoglobin decreased at 33℃. Evaluation of fatigue feeling and monitoring cerebral blood oxygenation might be applied to the measurement of productivity.

Thermal comfort for car occupants is important factor for automotive design. We have been developing efficient solar reduction glass for vehicles. We also developed a numerical simulator to predict and evaluate the thermal environment and thermal comfort in vehicles. In this simulation, firstly distribution of solar radiation energy through the glass can be calculated actually, and then temperature and air flow distribution, and human comfort can be computed by a combined analysis of CFD (computational fluid dynamics), thermal radiation and body temperature control model which corresponds to shapes of a vehicle and human body. The thermal environment differences between solar reduction glass and normal glass should be clear, which makes the effects of functional glass clear from the view point of human comfort. We can calculate comprehensive situations and indices of thermal comfort evaluation. Using this simulator, it was confirmed quantitatively that Asahi Glass's solar reduction glass could reduce the air-conditioning power than normal glass in summer condition. Further more, it was confirmed quantitatively that our functional glass could supply more comfortable environment for passengers inside car occupants. This result shows the latest value of automotive glass depending on human feelings. Copyright © 2003 SAE International.

A small-scale chamber, ADPAC, was developed to measure chemical emission rates from building materials. Measurement results from wall covering adhesive, flooring, and insulation materials were shown in this paper. The test pieces with wall covering adhesives were produced at the day of measurement. First measurement was conducted 15 hours after the production of the test piece, when chemical concentration in the chamber was considered to be steady state. Measurements were repeated after 4, 7, 14, and 28 days. It was found that emission of formaldehyde was observed even for the product indicated of "non-formalin". Emission rates were higher during the first day, but decreased rapidly after 1 or 2 weeks. Flooring materials and thermal insulation material EPS were also evaluated.

The purpose of this study is to clarify thermal comfort and ventilation effectiveness of displacement ventilation system ia a music hall which requires large outdoor air for the ventilation. Displacement ventilation is characterized by naturally generated stratification in density (thermal) and scalar concentration (pollutant). It was considered appropriate to keep good indoor air quality even if reducing the amount of outdoor air. The black lamp was installed in all seats in order to simulate the heat source from the audience. From the measurement result, the local mean age of air in the respiration point of the displacement ventilation system was about 1/3 of the complete mixing condition. The horizontal distribution of local mean age of air in the occupied zone was little. Vertical temperature distribution in the occupied zone was within an acceptable range, and the horizontal temperature distribution of the hall was almost uniform. It was found that the displacement ventilation system maintained comfortable thermal environment with relatively high air conditioning load, while it kept indoor air quality in the occupied zone within an acceptable range.

This paper aims at clarifying the influence that the ventilation characteristics have on formaldehyde concentration in a house. The indoor formaldehyde concentration, ventilation rates and routes have been measured using an experimental house. The formaldehyde concentration has been calculated by characteristics of emission rates. It was found that the room in which polluted air flows is higher than that of an inflow of outdoor air. It is important to design ventilation routes into which polluted air doesn't flow. The calculated concentration is consistent with the measurement results excluding the period after being made airtight. After being sealed, the experiment value decreased gently as compared with the calculation value.

Field surveys were conducted at an office with multinational workers in Japan to investigate the differences in the way groups of occupants perceive the environment under real working conditions. Returned questionnaires, 406 in total, were classified into three groups according to their nationality and sex. Only 26% of workers reported their working environment to be comfortable. A significant neutral temperature difference of 3.1 °C was observed between the Japanese female group and the non-Japanese male group under their usual working conditions. Japanese females reported a higher frequency of sick building syndrome related symptoms compared to other groups. Occupant comfort and reported frequency of SBS symptoms were closely related to deviation of the thermal sensation vote from neutral. The thermal environment was found to be a major factor affecting occupant comfort in the concerned office. Differences in the perception of the indoor environment were negatively affecting the ratings of their working environment. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

The 65-node thermoregulation model was developed, based on the Stolwijk model. The model has 16 body segments corresponding to the thermal manikin, each consisting of four layers for core, muscle, fat and skin. The 65th node in the model is the central blood compartment, which exchanges convective heat with all other nodes via the blood flow. Convective and radiant heat transfer coefficients and clothing insulation were derived from the thermal manikin experiments. A thermoregulation model combined with radiation exchange model and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is proposed. The comprehensive simulation method is described. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

A calculation method combined with measurements for predicting convective heat transfer coefficient at skin surface of thermal manikin under solar radiation is proposed. Present method is based on a calculation of steady state heat balance on skin surface of thermal manikin by the numerical simulation of solar radiation and thermal radiation combined with measurements of indoor climate and thermal manikin. Convective heat transfer coefficient at skin surface of thermal manikin is predicted in air-cooling conditions including the insulation effect of solar radiation on thermal manikin in an experimental atrium. As results, (1)it is considered convective heat transfer coefficient at each skin surface is affected by the velocity distribution of the thermal manikin. (2)No significant difference is found in convective heat transfer coefficient at each skin surface whether direct solar radiation reaches the thermal manikin or not. (3)Mean air velocity derived by convective heat transfer coefficient of whole body almost corresponds weigted mean measured velocity, and ratio of mean air velocity also corresponds to that of the supply air velocity in each case.

The aim of the study is to propose a prediction method of indoor Formaldehyde concentration based on the emission characteristics in small chambers for a full-scale experimental house. Concentrations of Formaldehyde, temperatures, humidity, ventilation rates and routes, and emission rates from the interior surface were compared with the predicted data. It was found that indoor concentrations calculated with the emission rates using FLEC and the ventilation rates agreed well with the measured results. Indoor concentration was influenced by temperature and ventilation rate, and it decreased gradually by time. The speed of decay was lower than that in small chambers. The predicted indoor concentrations considering the decay speed aereed well with the measured results.

To alleviate worker's thermal discomfort in a moderately hot environment, a new cooling vest was designed and proposed in this paper. To investigate the effect of the cooling vest and to collect the knowledge for the design of comfortable cooling vest, subjective experiments were conducted. Two kinds of cooling vests, the new one and the commercially available one, were used for comparison. The new cooling vest had more insulation and its surface temperature was higher than the commercially available one. Experiments were performed in the climatic chamber where operative temperature was controlled at 30.2°C and relative humidity was at 37% under still air. In addition, experiment without cooling vest was carried out as a control condition. The results obtained in these experiments were as follow: 1) By wearing both types of cooling vest, the whole body thermal sensation was closer to the neutral conditions than those without cooling vest. This effect was estimated to be equal to the 5.7°C decrement of operative temperature. The subjects felt more comfortable with the cooling vest than without it. They felt more thermally acceptable than that without cooling vest. Wearing the cooling vest was useful to decrease the sweating sensation. 2) The local discomfort was observed when the local thermal sensation was "cool"∼"cold" with the cooling vest. 3) The new cooling vest kept the skin temperature at chest at about 32.6°C. On the other hand, by wearing the commercially available one, it lowered to about 31.1°C. By wearing the new cooling vest, there was a tendency that local thermal sensation vote was higher and local comfort sensation vote was more comfortable than those of the condition wearing the commercially available one. It is important for the design of a comfortable cooling garment to prevent over-cool down from the body.

A numerical simulation method is presented for the evaluation of thermal comfort of car occupants under direct solar radiation. Present method is based on a comprehensive combined analysis with multi-node thermoregulation model, which is integrated by the 65-node thermoregulation model (65MN: Multi Nodes) based on the Stolwijk model, radiation model including thermal radiation and solar radiation, and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics). This paper focuses on the outlines of each numerical simulation method and discusses on the human body shape for predicting accurate boundary conditions of thermoregulation model. Applications of this method to car occupants are presented in the Part 2. Copyright © 2002 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.

Thermal comfort for car occupants is important factor for automotive design. We have been developing the numerical simulator for the prediction of the thermal environment and thermal comfort in vehicles. In the previous paper, the comprehensive combined analysis method with multi-node thermoregulation model, radiation model and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) is proposed. In this paper, the applications of this method to car occupants are presented. We focused on investigating the effects of glass properties on thermal environment of compartment and thermal comfort for passengers. The calculated results were compared every part of glazing, front windshield, front sidelite and rear sidelite in summer condition. It was found that the differences of air temperature between normal glass glazing and functional one are not so much but the differences of human feeling are significant. Further more, the effects of functional glass on the reduction of air-conditioning power are simulated. This simulator was a useful tool for investigating the thermal environment differences between solar reduction glass and normal glass clear, which enable to make the effects of functional glass clear from the view point of thermal comfort. Copyright © 2002 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.

冷却衣服着用時の熱的快適性を評価するために被験者実験を行った.人工気候室は, 作用温度33.0℃, 相対湿度37%, 静穏気流に制御した.本研究で開発した冷却衣服は氷冷式で体幹部を冷却する構造であり, 冷却部位の皮膚温を約33℃に冷却した.全身発汗量, 皮膚面における潜熱損失量および皮膚ぬれ率については, 冷却ベストの有無による有意な差が認められなかった。発汗感覚は冷却ベストの着用により有意に低下した.冷却ベストの着用により, 温冷感および快不快感は非着用時に比べて有意に熱的中立状態に近づき, その冷却効果は作用温度約3℃分であった.冷却ベスト着用時の全身快不快感は, 非着用時におけるPMVおよびDISCによる予測値と一致し, 全身温冷感による影響が大きかった.また, 局所温冷感が低くなりすぎると, 局所不快感が生じた.これらの結果より, 快適な冷却衣服の設計には, 全身温冷感を効率よく下げて熱的中立状態に近づけるとともに, 過度な冷却を行わないようにすることが重要であることが明らかとなった.

Six seasonal surveys were conducted to investigate the characteristics of indoor environment and occupant comfort in a high density heat load office building with multi-national workers. Horizontal air temperature difference of 4.6℃ was observed on the same floor. Indoor air quality was generally within the existing level of IAQ standards. Occupant comfort and reported frequency of SBS related symptoms were closely related to thermal sensation votes. A significant neutral temperature difference of 3.1℃ was observed between Japanese female occupant group and non-domestic male group. The thermal environment was found to be a major factor affecting occupant comfort in the concerned office.

Volatile organic compounds (VOC_s) and carbonyl compounds emitted from the preformed cellular plastics thermal insulation materials were measured to investigate the emission mechanisms. The emission tests were performed under 30℃ atmosphere by using the Field and Laboratory Emission Cell (FLEC). VOC_s and carbonyl compounds were determined qualitatively and quantitatively by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The thermal insulation materials tested in this study were classified into four types, namely extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), polyurethane form (PUF) and phenolic resin foam (PRF). EPS emitted styrene and toluene at emission rates ranged from 100-340 and 93-430μg/(m^2 h), respectively. These emission rates showed a good correlation (r=0.909) with densities of materials. XPS emitted low-boiling point compounds such as chlorometh-ane, chloroethane, bromomethane, or bromoethane, and showed emission rate ranged from 2300-6500, 7600-19000, 110-490 or 73-430μg/(m^2 h), respectively. The emission rates of styrene from XPS were 7.2-84μg/(m^2 h). PUF emitted 1,1-dichloro-l-fluoroethane (HCFC-141b) and showed emission rates of 790-890μg/(m^2 h). PRF emitted dichloromethane and showed emission rates of 1300-2100μg/(m^2 h). Emission rates of HCFC-141b or dichloromethane from the internal part of material were ranging from 55-77 or 4.9-5.2 times, respectively, as each surface emission rate. Emission of carbonyl compounds such as formaldehyde or acetaldehyde was not detected from all materials we tested. The field emission measurements were performed using FLEC at various places in a newly built house. It was observed that the surface of floor, ceiling board and tatami mat emitted styrene, and these emission rates were 19, 32 and 12μg/(m^2 h), respectively. It was suggested that these places emitted styrene through the thermal insulating materials (EPS), because flooring, ceiling and tatami are close to EPS and moreover tatami mat was a so-called "polystyrene tatami".

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of the environmental factors upon the concentration of formaldehyde using small chambers and to develop a prediction method of indoor air quality in houses. The results of the measured emission rates in the small chambers are asfollows. 1. The emission rate increases as temperature rises and its influence is larger than those of the other factors: the humidity, the ventilation rate, the concentration and the sink effect. 2. The emission process influences upon the emission rates and the process is influenced by these factors. 3. The characteristics of the emission rates influenced by these factors obtained from the experiments using the small chambers meet the characteristics of the calculated values using the proposed simple equations.

In order to study the behavior or the emission of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in a newly built house, HAPs were measured at various places in residential air. In this investigation we used three different kinds of sampling method: that is, USEPA method TO-11 and TO-17 as an active sampling method for HAPs in residential air, DSD-carbonyl as a diffusive sampling method for carbonyl compounds in a closed space and FLEC (field and laboratory emission cell) as a chamber method for the determination of emission rates from building materials. As a result, the following was clarified. (1) In the newly built house before moving, the concentrations of toluene, formaldehyde, acetone and CFC-11 were higher than other compounds. (2) 1,4-dichlorobenzene and 1,1,1-trichloroethane were carried into the house by residents. (3) The emission rates of formaldehyde, acetone and CFC-11 were rapid and a wall cabinet in the kitchen emitted those compounds. (4) The concentration of formaldehyde, acetone and CFC-11 in indoor air was directly proportional to the room temperature. (5) It was recognized that the material of a wall cabinet in the kitchen emitted styrene and benzaldehyde and emission rates of those compounds were 470 and 200 μMg/(m^2 h), respectively. (6) Styrene and formaldehyde are remarkable compounds because their concentrations were very high (max 72 and 390 μg/m^3, respectively) and they are known to increase the risk of asthma and cancer.

通信機械室など,通常は無人で主に機械のみが作動している室内では,その冷房設定温度を高くすることにより,省エネルギーを図ることが出来る.しかし,室内が高温となる場合は,労働環境としては好ましくない.本研究では,中程度の熱ストレス下での快適な作業を可能にするための冷却ベストを開発し,快適性評価を行った.本冷却ベストは,冷感受性の高い体幹部を冷却する氷冷式である.冷却ベストの着用により,快不快感に関して,作用温度1.5℃の冷却効果があった.衣内湿度や皮膚ぬれ率を抑制し,発汗感覚が低下した.温冷感に関しては,大学生年齢の被験者群では冷却効果が認められなかったが,30-40歳代の被験者群では,作用温度に換算して約2℃の冷却効果が40分程度あることがわかった.

A numerical simulation method is proposed for predicting the effective radiation area and the projected area of human body for any postures. This method is based on the solar heat gain simulation. To confirm the validity of this method, predicted effective radiation area factors and projected area factors for both standing and sitting postures are compared with those by the measurements. It was found that predicted figures are met quite well with those by the subjective experiments within 10% accuracy. The effective radiation area and the diagrams of the projected area factors for a person sitting on the floor are illustrated.

Thermal insulation of clothing is usually measured using a standing thermal manikin. In real life, however, people often sit on chairs and thermal insulation of the nude skin surface and that of clothing should be affected by the chairs. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of chairs on thermal insulation of the nude skin surface. Seventeen chairs, usually used in an office, were selected for this study. A thermal manikin was used for the thermal evaluation of the chairs. It was found that the area of the back of the chairs influenced the thermnal insulation of the manikin in general and the thermal insulation of the back of the manikin in particular as well as the contact area between the chair and the skin surface.

現代社会にすむ我々はその90%くらいの時間を室内で過ごしている. 寒さ暑さを感じれば, 暖房したり冷房したりして快適になるように行動する. あるいは, 膝掛けを使用したり, セータを着込んだりして寒さに対応するかもしれない. そういった人間と温熱環境の関係を評価する研究に関して御紹介したいと考えている.

Thermal environments, indoor air quality, and ventilation effectiveness were measured and evaluated in an office installed both with floor-based and ceiling based systems. Two systems were compared. Major findings are as follows : 1. The horizontal air temperature gradients were within acceptable range and almost same for both systems. 2. The LPPDs were found less than 6% except 6.25% for ceiling-based system in summer. 3. Air temperatures and Δ EHTs at lower level with floor-based system tended to be cooler than those for the ceiling-based system. However the differences were not significant. 4. Subjective acceptability for indoor air quality was no difference between two systems. However lower figures were observed for floor-based airconditioning system in terms of the concentration or the number of air-born particles. 5. Ventilation performance index was greater for the floor-based system than the ceiling-based system. This field study quantitatively makes it clear that floor-based system can provide comparable thermal environment and better air quality in comparison with the ceiling-based system.

1.はじめに 全面床吹出置換空調方式は置換換気システムの一種である。換気効率が高いため、熱的快適性と省エネルギー性の点から注目されているが、温度成層を形成するために上下温度差が問題となる場合がある。垂直温度分布には室内熱負荷総量だけでなく熱源位置も影響を与えると考えられる。本研究では、OA化により内部負荷が種々の状態で配置されているオフィス空間に全面床吹出置換空調方式を適用した際の室内温熱環境および人体の熱的快適性を実験により評価することを目的としている。2.実験方法 実験は1996年の夏季に奥行き16m、幅6m、天井高さ2.7mのオフィス空間1スパン分を模擬した環境試験室にて行われた。内部チャンバー全面には通気性タイルカーペットと多孔OAフロアを敷設してあり、二重床内プレナムを通った空調空気はカーペット内部で面状に拡散し室内にほぼ均一に給気される。内部チャンバーからの排気は天井に配したダブルTバーの排気スリットを通して行う天井レタンチャンバー方式とした。また、窓の外側の外気室には夏季および冬季の外乱を再現するための空調システムおよび人工太陽灯が備わっている。室内温熱環境が定常に達した後述の14条件について1)移動測定カート、2)熱電対による温度分布、3)サーマルマネキンによる測定が行われた。移動測定カートは7項目の環境要素を同時計測可能なカートで、負荷分散条件については窓面からの距離1.0/1.5/3.0/4.5/6.0/9.0/12.0/15.Om、負荷集中条件については1.0/1.5/3.0/4.5/6.0/7.0/8.0/9.Omの地点にて測定を行った。また、室内上下温度分布は7地点、高さ8点にて全実験中ロガーにより記録された。サーマルマネキンによる皮膚温の測定は窓面を正面として椅座位にて3地点で行った。3.実験条件 室内負荷は照明負荷(100W×16)とアルミの筒で覆った電球を用いた室内模擬負荷(100W×10、20)により26W/m^2、36W/m^2とした。また、熱源の高さ(0.2、1.0、2.Om)、配置(分散、集中)、給気風量(1890、1350、810m^3/h)、ペリメータ負荷(無、有-夏季、冬季)を変化させることによって14条件について測定を行った。負荷の配置は、熱源分散時は模擬負荷を2列にわけて均等に配置し、集中時は窓面より8mの地点に集中させた。夏季を想定した条件では外気室温度を32℃、ガラス内側のブラインドが受ける放射熱量を580W/m^2とし、冬季は外気室温度を0℃とした。給気風量は一定とし、室内の代表点(出入り口側の壁面近く、高さ1.1m)で空気温度25.5℃となるように吹出し温度を自動制御した。4.結果 実験は36W/m^2、26W/m^2の2種類の内部負荷で行われたが、空調機の給気から室内排気までの空気温度差により算出された除去熱量はこの熱負荷とほぼ一致した。室内に給気される直前である室内側床表面に至るまでに全処理熱量の50〜60%が処理された。これは床全体が冷却されて床下への熱貫流が発生したためと考えられる。負荷を分散させ、高さを変化させた場合、上下温度分布より部屋全体を通じてほぼ一様に温度成層が広がっていることが分かった。また、負荷高さにより温度勾配の不連続点に変化が見られた。これは負荷位置にて暖められた温度の高い空気の層が上部に形成されるためである。すなわち熱負荷の高さが低いと居住域での上下温度差が大きくなり、逆に高いと温度差は小さくなる。室内負荷の増加によりいずれの条件についても上下温度差は大きくなったが、高さ0.lmと1.1m間の温度差は、最も上下温度分布がつくと予想される「36LS-7」で最大2.1℃となった以外は1.5℃以内であった。給気風量を減少させると上下温度差は大きくなり、810m^3/hのときには室内負荷を全て除去できずに全体の室温が上昇した。給気風量1890m^3/hにて熱負荷の高さが1.Om(M)、または2.Om(H)で分散している場合、床表面における無次元温度(Tf)がおよそ0.5となり、その点と室温制御用サーモスタットの置かれている高さ1.1mでの空気温度、天井吸込口での排気温度の3点がほぼ一直線上にあることがわかった。給気風量が減少すると給気温度が下がるために床面の無次元温度が相対的に高くなるが、同様に3点は一直線上であった。しかし、熱負荷高さが0.1m(L)と低い場合は室下部での温度上昇が激しいため直線にはならなかった。熱源を窓面より8mの地点に集中させた場合、集中点に近づくにつれ0.3〜0.5℃の室温上昇が見られたが、温度勾配は室全体を通してほぼ一定に保たれた。負荷集中点のそばにおける高さ0.1mと1.1m間の垂直温度差も1.0℃以内となった。空気の水平拡散性が大きく、水平方向の温度分布が室内全体を通してほぼ均一となったためと考えられる。熱源を分散させた場合でも室中央部にて若干の空気温度上昇が見られたが、これは本システムの給気方法の特性によるものであると考えられる。夏季条件では窓面近くの床が放射で暖められ、温度成層が乱れた。また、冬季条件では窓面近傍にてコールドドラフトの影響が見られたものの床上0.6m以上での温度成層は保たれていた。温熱快適性を保ちつつ置換換気の効果を得るには適切なペリメータ処理が必要であると考えられる。冬季条件を除くすべての条件について気流速度は0.1m/sを超えることはなかった。冬季条件では窓面近傍でコールドドラフトにより0.15m/sまでの気流速度の増加が見られたが、いずれの条件についてもISO-7730やASHRAE55-92の基準値以内に抑えられていた。代謝量1.1met、着衣量0.6cloとして計算により求めたPMVの値は夏季、冬季条件を除いて0から0.5の範囲内であった。さらに詳細な居住者の熱的快適性を調査するためにサーマルマネキンの皮膚温測定が行われた。周辺空気温度および放射の影響が皮膚温に大きな影響を与えることが確かめられた。5.結論 本方式では床パネルによる床冷却効果により居住域における温度勾配が小さくなった。熱源の高さが低いほど居住域における上下温度差が大きくなり、内部負荷の増加及び給気風量の減少も大きな温度差を生む結果となった。熱源を集中させると0.3〜0.5℃の空気温度上昇が見られたが温度勾配は全室内を通してほぼ一定に保たれていた。夏季条件では窓面近傍の床が暖められ、室全体の温度成層が乱れた。冬季条件では窓近傍にてコールドドラフトが確認されたが、高さ0.6m以上での温度成層は保たれていた。サーマルマネキンの皮膚温に周囲空気温度および放射の影響が強く見られた。

Results of laboratory measurements on the thermal performance of the floor-supply displacement ventilation system in comparison with a displacement ventilation system with sidewall mounted diffuser and a ceiling based distribution system are described. The experiments were performed in a controlled chamber configured to resemble a modern office space with modular workstation furniture and partitions. In addition to detailed measurements of temperature, air velocity, and tracer gas concentration, a skin temperature controlled thermal manikin was used to evaluate the non-uniformity of thermal environments produced by these systems. Thermal stratification was observed in both of the displacement ventilation systems which produced greater air temperature differences than the ceiling based system. Under the conditions of the appropriate supply air volume against indoor heat load the displacement ventilation systems could be operated to maintain acceptable thermal comfort and high ventilation efficiency in the occupant zone of the space, at the same time taking advantage of the temperature stratification to achieve energy savings in air conditioning.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate thermal comfort properties of surgical gowns made of dual functional finish cotton and nonwoven fabrics which have barrier properties of blood and micro-organism. Four types of surgical gowns, which were made of nonwoven fabrics with finish or without and were made of cotton with finish or without, were tested. The thermal insulations of four surgical gowns were measured with thermal manikin. Subjective experiments on thermal comfort, skin temperature and clothing microclimate were conducted. Six male subjects, between 26 and 28 years age old, participated in the wear trials tests. Typical activities for surgeons in the operation theater were simulated during the experimental sessions. Air temperature in a climate chamber was kept at 22℃ and its humidity was 60%RH. Air velocity was controlled at less than 0.15 m/s. Inner radiant temperature was almost equal to the air temperature. Basic thermal insulation of the dual functional finished nonwoven surgical gown was 0.87 clo, which was slightly higher than that of untreated (0.84 clo). However, the skin temperature of the subject wearing a dual functional finished surgical gown was significantly lower at P.05. When the subject wears the dual functional finished gown, the amount of sweating was less than that when wearing untreated. Microclimate temperature and humidity of dual functional finished surgical gown were lower than untreated and it was statistically significant. There was no significant difference in subjective humid and overall comfort sensation between finished and untreated ones. Thermal sensation of dual functional finished one was significantly different from untreated one only during the first exercise. The results of this study indicate that the dual functional finish surgical gown allowed heat to be transferred from the skin of subject to the atmosphere better than untreated. The nonwoven surgical gown showed no difference in comfort properties from cotton one.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of body posture on thermal insulation of clothing. Clothing ensembles including skirts were mainly investigated. A new thermal manikin was developed for this study. This manikin was able to change her body posture without increasing or decreasing her surface area. By changing posture from standing to seated, the total thermal insulation of clothing (It) was decreased by around 1.4%. The surface thermal resistance at nude (Ia) was increased by 8%. As a result, the basic thermal insulation of clothing (Icl) was decreased by 14%. The main reason for the decrease of basic thermal insulation (Icl) when the posture of thermal manikln changes from standing to seated was the increase of la at nude. The total thermal insulation of clothing for each body posture (Iti), when standing and seated, were compared. The parts affected by the changed posture were abdomen, hip and thighs, and especially under the skirt of 61cm length, the knees were most affected.

A comparative analysis is presented on the three conventional methods and our new one for evaluating the basic thermal insulation of cloting. A thermal manikin regulated at constant temperature over all parts was seated on a chair and, in the steady state, the environmental temperature, the amount of heat which the manikin lost, and the local skin temperature at nineteen points were measured for various clothing ensembles covering the body. From the data obtained were estimated the thermal insulation only by the skin when the manikin was unclothed and that by the total when clothed; based on these the basic thermal insulation of each clothing was evaluated by the current methods as well as ours and the results were compared. An investigation also on the role of the insulation by the outer clothing surface revealed that, if it was neglected, greater errors might be caused in estimating the basic thermal insulation of clothing.

標準夏服,セー夕一組合わせ衣服,ウインドブレーカー組合せ衣服の気流速度増加による着衣熱抵抗の減少に関する実験結果に関して述べている。熱的に19分割された椅座位のサーマルマネキンを0.1, 0.22, 0.32, 0.48, 0.69, 1.0, 1.4m/sの気流速度下に曝露した。標準夏服の場合,作用温度は27℃とした。また,セーターとウインドブレーカー組合せの場合,作用温度23.3℃とした。静穏気流時05.cloの標準夏服の基礎着衣熱抵抗は風速1.0m/sで25%減少した。セーター組合せの基礎着衣熱抵抗は,気流速度増加によりウインドブレーカ組合せ衣服より大きく減少した。着衣熱抵抗の減少を考慮に入れた等価温度がサーマルマネキンの熱損失に基づき導き出された。気流を透過する衣服では,従来の等価温度より気流の冷却効果があることが示された。

OA化に伴う熱負荷の偏在化, オフィスワーカーの個人差のため, 均一温熱環境をつくりだすのみで快適環境を実現することは難しくなっている. 本研究では, オフィスや居住空間において温風暖房によって発生した上下温度分布による不快を減少させることを目的として, パーソナルふく射暖房パネルの体感効果に関して報告する. 体感実験の結果, パーソナルふく射パネルは下肢の冷えを解消する効果があるが, パネル表面温度が高くなると気流速が増加し, 局部温冷感による不快感を生じる可能性があることが明らかになった. また, パネル表面温度が高温にならないように注意し, 他の暖房方式との併用によって, より快適な居住空間を形成することが必要であることがわかった.

A method to quantify the amount of tobacco smoke adhered on the surface material is proposed and the results of odor sensation experiment on adhered tobacco smoke using subjects are presented. First, we developed a new technique to quantify adhered tobacco smoke based on infrared spectroscopy. The experiment boxes were filled with different concentrations of tobacco smoke and after 14 hours tobacco smoke in the box was pulled out by ventilation. Then the subjects were asked to judge the intensity and acceptability of the odor of the air in the box. The odor in the box with a small amount of tobacco smoke adhered on the surfaces caused more than 60% of dissatisfied with one air change per hour. And it was showed that substance from tobacco smoke was adhered on the floor more than other surfaces. As results of field investigations we found that not only levels of tobacco smoke decides the amount adhered in the actual spaces.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the indoor air quality by making subjective assessment of perceived air pollution caused by human bioeffluents. One hundred and seven subjects were used as panel to report the odor intensities and acceptability of bioeffluents from fifty-four other subjects as occupants. It was found that 20% of judges described dissatisfaction caused by bioeffluents at 1.5 on the Yaglou's odor intensity scale. A ventilation rate around 7 liters per second per person was required to satisfy 80% of judges entering the chamber. In addition, the relationship between the ventilation rate per olf and the percentage of dissatisfied judges for Japanese subjects was investigated.