The 38th AIVC conference “Ventilating healthy low-energy buildings” will be held on 13 and 14 September 2017 in Nottingham (UK). It will also be the 4th venticool conference and the 6th TightVent conference.

Conference Scope

The need to reduce the energy demand of buildings is reflected in the legislation and policies of many countries. However, there is increasing concern about their adverse effects on occupant health and comfort in low energy buildings. These issues are being considered by some international energy conservation policy initiatives for buildings that seek to simultaneously reduce energy demand and provide acceptable indoor environment quality.

The minimisation of health risks and preservation of thermal comfort require the careful design and implementation of ventilation strategies and systems. There are many factors that must be addressed to achieve this goal, such as limiting occupant exposure to indoor and outdoor pollution sources, determining metrics capable of assessing indoor air quality, identifying factors causing overheating, and increasing envelope and ductwork airtightness.

It is this context that defines the core theme of the joint 38th AIVC, 6th TightVent and 4th venticool Conference as “Ventilating healthy low-energy buildings”. It will place its focus on:

• thermal comfort and ventilative cooling (the application of ventilation to cool indoor spaces and reduce overheating risk in buildings);
• air infiltration through cracks in the building envelope and ductwork;
• the relationships between ventilation, indoor air quality and health.

Conference concept

The conference will consist of 3 parallel tracks largely devoted to:

• ventilative cooling;
• airtightness issues;
• ventilation in relation to IAQ and health.

The conference will consist of a mixture of:

• Well‐prepared and structured sessions focused on the conference topics;
• Presentations on invitation;
• Presentations arising from the call for papers.

Conference topics

Contributions are invited in the areas of research, development, application, and market and legislative implementation of ventilation and infiltration. Preference will be given to abstracts focusing on one of the following topics:

Ventilative cooling:

• Potential for ventilative cooling strategies;
• Ventilative cooling in energy performance regulations;
• Design approaches and control strategies for ventilative cooling and case studies;
• Thermal comfort and ventilation;
• Coupling of ventilation with cooling systems;
• Ventilative cooling technologies and components;
• IAQ and acoustical issues.

Airtightness:

• Durability of building and ductwork airtightness;
• Energy and IAQ impact of envelope and ductwork leakage;
• Field data and case studies;Infiltration measurement techniques and IR thermography;
• Design and construction approaches for airtight buildings;
• Risks related to airtightness

Ventilation, IAQ, and health relationships:

• IAQ impacts from outdoor sources;
• IAQ metrics or performance indicators;
• Humidity control and moisture damage;
• Ventilation in renovated buildings;
• Strategies to reduce exposure (filtration, air cleaning, source control);
• Performance of cooker hoods;
• Sleep quality;
• Heat recovery issues (freezing, natural ventilation).

Other topics:

• Smart ventilation control and smart grids;
• Compliance schemes and barriers to innovation;
• Controls and user interaction;
• Fan energy demand;
• Innovative ventilation concepts and combined systems;
• BIM (Building Information Modelling) and ventilation systems.

Selected papers will be invited for submission to special issues of the ‘Energy & Buildings’ journal and the ‘International Journal of Ventilation’.

Important dates:

• Deadline for abstract submission: February 15, 2017
• Notification of abstract acceptance: April 1, 2017
• Deadline for paper submission: May 31, 2017

Conference Organisers

The conference is organised by:

• the International Network on Ventilation and Energy Performance (INIVE) on behalf of the Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (AIVC), TightVent Europe (the Building and Ductwork Airtightness Platform), and venticool (the international platform for ventilative cooling); and
• Brunel University London
• The University of Nottingham
• The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE)

For further information please visit the conference website at: http://www.aivc2017conference.org/