2024/25 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

CIVE5995M Indoor Air Quality

15 creditsClass Size: 35

Module manager: Marco-Felipe King
Email: m.f.king@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

Pre-requisite qualifications

Any student at this University on a programme with environmental or engineering interests and analytical content will benefit from this module. Please contact the module team to discuss.

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

We spend around 90% of our lives indoors and there is growing recognition that a substantial proportion of our exposure to pollutants happens in indoor environments. Exposure to particles, chemicals and biological contaminants (including infectious disease) has a significant impact on health, disproportionately affects those who are more disadvantaged, and is determined by a complex interaction between the building design, environmental parameters and human health. Understanding this complexity is crucial to enabling healthy and energy efficient indoor environments.

Objectives

Overall aim of the module is to provide students with an understanding of the complexity of indoor air pollution and its relationship to building design and human behaviour. Students will be able to use their awareness of factors that influence indoor air, the regulatory and standards landscape (and lack of) together with sensors, modelling and data analysis skills to explore indoor air quality problems and determine effective solutions.
Objectives:
The module will provide students with:
- Technical knowledge on sources of indoor air pollutants, including airborne disease transmission, and the evidence for their impact on health and the environment
- An understanding of how exposure to indoor air pollutants is influenced by a combination of different physical, environmental and human factors and the implications for managing IAQ
- An understanding of the challenge in regulating indoor air and the current frameworks and activity that is ongoing in this space, including around inequalities and social justice
- Theoretical understanding and practical calculations relating to indoor airflows, ventilation, building energy and pollutant exposure
- Practical experience of using air quality sensors to measure indoor environments and data analysis approaches to interpret and predict exposures in indoor environments
- Practical experience of using simple IAQ zonal modelling concepts to simulate exposures in indoor spaces.
- An understanding of technical and operational solutions for mitigating poor IAQ, and the factors that affect the success of these approaches.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students will be able to:
1. Describe the health and environmental impacts of poor indoor air quality
2. Have an awareness of the supporting evidence for the impact of a range of pollutants in indoor settings
3. Have an understanding of WHO, UK and international guidance and regulation relating to ventilation and indoor air quality, and the rationale behind it
4. Have an awareness of inequity in exposure to indoor air pollutants and the social context surrounding indoor air quality
5. Explain the mechanisms for dispersion and exposure to airborne pollutants in indoor settings and carry out relevant calculations
6. To have an understanding of how airflow in urban environments influences the airflow in buildings and hence the indoor air quality
7. Understand how to assess IAQ problems and have experience of using sensor data and/or modelling data can be used to evaluate indoor environments
8. Understand the principles of ventilation and the relationship this has to comfort, air quality and energy
9. Understand the challenge of airborne disease transmission and the factors that influence risk, including through use of models
10. Evaluate potential solutions to dealing with air quality problems and the feasibility of application to different scenarios

Skills Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills :
a. Be able to critically assess evidence relating to IAQ and health effects and use this to make appropriate judgements about the quality of indoor environments
b. Be able to work collaboratively in a small group to identify, collate and objectively present information on a specific IAQ topic to a peer audience
c. Be able to confidently use IAQ modelling concepts and measurement to carry out analysis of indoor air exposures in simple buildings and present findings in a clearly structured client facing report
d. Be able to understand how and where to use air quality sensors and to be able to do appropriate analysis to interpret data
e. Be able to relate IAQ to current UK government and global policies, directives and wider social justice priorities, including on the intersection between health and energy policy.

Syllabus

The topics covered will be:
1. Evidence for health and environmental impacts of indoor air pollution
2. IAQ standards, guidance and regulation
3. IAQ and social justice
4. Sources and behaviour of pollutants in indoor air
5. Indoor- outdoor air exchange and contribution of outdoor air
6. Principles of ventilation and building performance
7. IAQ and building energy
8. Introduction to data analysis for IAQ
9. Sensors for indoor air quality measurement
10. Introduction to biological pollutants and disease transmission
11. Air cleaning and disinfection technologies
12. Modelling indoor air pollutants and exposures .

Methods of Assessment

We are currently refreshing our modules to make sure students have the best possible experience. Full assessment details for this module are not available before the start of the academic year, at which time details of the assessment(s) will be provided.

Assessment for this module will consist of;

2 x Coursework

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	16	1.00	16.00
Practical	4	5.00	9.00
Seminar	1	1.00	1.00
Seminar	1	4.00	4.00
Independent online learning hours			20.00
Private study hours			100.00
Total Contact hours			30.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students will have the opportunity to receive formative feedback on coursework and general understanding via discussion and feedback from staff and demonstrators in computer sessions (6 x 1 hour sessions), data measurement session (1 x 3 hour) throughout the semester. Students will all have a tutorial session to provide guidance on the group research presentations.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 13/05/2024

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