Architype’s researcher Chryssa Thoua has been undertaking a doctoral research degree supported by Architype and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council at University College London’s Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering. The in-depth four year study is nearing its conclusion in March 2021. The research comprehensively assesses a complex range of metrics in four of Architype’s Passivhaus schools, comparing the results to UK Sinphonie (Schools Indoor Pollution and Health: Observatory Network in Europe) data to understand how Passivhaus schools perform in comparison to other building types.
The research looks at temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide and pollutants including particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and total volatile organic compounds (VOCs). As well as remote monitoring systems, Chryssa spent two weeks in each school, during summer and winter because of the wide variance in results between the two seasons. As well as extensive scientific analysis in UCL laboratories, the up-close observations in three classrooms in each school allowed variances in classroom occupancy, location and orientation to be taken into account when interpreting the results.
Read the ‘Breathing Easy’ article by Mary Sweeting on the Architype website.