Indoor Environment Quality

Select any one of the following eleven: Acoustics 1. A psychological assessment of noise often examines both loudness and annoyance. Discuss the differences between those two aspects. Discuss the findings of a paper by Fidell (2011) that investigated loudness and annoyance in relation to aircraft noise exposure. 2. Sharpness and fluctuation are two physical metrics commonly used to predict sound quality in addition to A-weighted mean energy level (LAeq). Explain those three metrics and provide the mathematical expressions / equations used to represent them. Discuss the main difference between the A-weighted mean energy level and Sharpness and fluctuation. 3. Standards generally assume that buildings are sealed and air-conditioned to meet the stated recommended indoor noise levels; however, given the benefits of fresh air provided by natural ventilation in an open-plan office environment, there is a compromise that was recommended in the paper by Field & Digerness (2008). Please explain, in consideration of spoken communication in an open-plan office, how this compromise might be justified in terms of the primary acoustics-related concerns that were expressed in that paper. Thermal Environment 4. One of the most vexed research topics in indoor comfort is concerned with thermal effects on cognitive performanceand productivity. Discuss some of the key papers on this topic and then critique their simplistic conclusions. 5. Write an essay about thermal manikins, making sure you address the following specific points. What is a thermal manikin? Which modes of the body’s environmental heat exchange are simulated by thermal manikins? What is the basic principle of operation for a controlled skin-temperature thermal manikin like the IEQ Lab’s “Laura Palmer”? Describe some specific questions or problems that can be addressed with a thermal manikin. Ventilation and Air Quality 6. The growing recognition of the possibility of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2(Corona-virus) microdroplets (<5mm) carries significant implications for the way buildings are operated. Discuss ventilation, energy, and occupant density issues. 7. Current ventilation or Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) standards are primarily aimed at providing ‘acceptable’ indoor air to human occupants. Discuss the logic used in defining or quantifying ‘acceptable’ IAQ in the literature. Critique the ‘acceptability’ concept used in the ventilation standard from the perspective of infectious diseases control. Also provide some insights upon whether ‘personalised air’ or ‘individual control’ concept can serve as a paradigm shift in ventilation practices Lighting Environment 9. Well-controlled laboratory experiments have characterized the ways that light affects circadian rhythms, but the light exposure of real building occupants cannot be tightly controlled. Consider field studies on lighting and circadian rhythms and make an argument as to whether circadian-tuning lighting systems in office buildings can reasonably be expected to enhance the health of employees. 10. The measurement of discomfort glare is fraught. Referencing from the vast body of research literature on this topic, describe the primary impediments to measuring/predicting discomfort glare. Based on your research, do you believe that we’ll ever be able to use one discomfort glare measurement system for all environments and light sources? 11. Many people prefer daylight to electric lighting. However, daylight is associated with a number of non-lighting benefits, such as views of and a connection to the outdoors, so it’s not clear whether the actual light provided by daylight is responsible for its appeal. Describe some highly-cited studies that show a preference for daylight to attempt to answer the question, “what is it about daylight that people like so much?”