Balancing Energy Savings, Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Buildings and Climate Resilience emphasizing Human Well-Being

Speaker

ISA Visiting Fellow - Dorota Krawczyk

Associate Professor - Department of Sustainable Construction and Building Systems, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Visit Prof. Krawczyk's web page

The lecture explores the intersection of energy efficiency, occupant health, and comfort within the context of sustainable building design and exploitation. In response to the growing challenges of climate change, urbanization and health concern, this lecture highlights the need for integrated strategies that optimize building performance while ensuring the well-being of occupants. Energy-saving measures, such as passive design, advanced heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and renewable energy (RE) integration, can be harmonized with the need for high indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal comfort of users. Special attention is given to the role of IAQ in preventing health issues such as respiratory problems or allergies, thus various ventilation strategies are presented. Results of measurement conducted in Poland and Spain in education buildings before and after retrofitting are presented. Simulations of CO2 level with different number of users and ventilation strategies are discussed. Moreover, results of surveys on thermal comfort are shown. The lecture encourages audience to adopt holistic, interdisciplinary approaches to building design, promoting the development of sustainable, comfortable, and health-conscious environments that support both environmental sustainability and human resilience in the face of climate change.