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Water Quality International Joint Venture Indoor Indoor Comfort Purification - BioClear Environmental Canada and Japan collaborated to Quality BioClear is an inexpensive, provide improved ventilation in houses. chemical-free process for purifying water. The joint venture focused on the It was originally developed for the defense Indoor environmental quality development of international standards industry and NASA. It is technology that is includes technologies that hold for non-forced air systems. Japan’s migrating to the recreation industry and Building Research Institute (BRI) has potential for improving the various holds potential for clean water systems aspects of indoor living quality: built a test house using alternative development in the housing industry. systems. Testing, data collection, and , water quality, Contact: experiments are done jointly, with health, and comfort quality. Natural Water Technologies exchange of ideas and information to find Atlanta, GA better alternatives for indoor home Phone: 401-303-0068 comfort. www.nctn.hq.nasa.gov/innovation/ The collaborative effort is Innovation56/water.htm investigating thermal comfort and noise reduction for mechanical ventilation Comfort Quality systems. The agencies will bring findings to manufacturers, designers, and Technology Scanning Intelligent Rooms regulatory agencies in an effort to create One of PATH’s major research support This technology allows a room to better ventilation and indoor air quality services is PATH Technology Scanning. Technology Scanning tells us about respond to verbal commands for strategies than are currently used. technology developments in other information or give users related Contact: industries, from other nations, from federal information the user didn’t think to ask National Research Council of Canada , and from other building sectors. PATH looks for breakthroughs in for but might need or find useful. It Institute for Research in other industries that could be transferred begins to automate the comfort aspects of Dr. James Reardon and applied to housing. Technology indoor living and gives users of the room Phone: 613-993-9700 Scanning–published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban easier command of their environment to Email: [email protected] Development/PATH and prepared by the meet their specific criteria. www.nrc.ca/corporate/english/index.html NAHB Research Center, Inc.–are updated as Contact: technology developments dictate. The Building Control Systems and Howard Shrobe, Director of Artificial Building Control Systems and Research Center works to unite technology Micro HVAC Systems developers from outside of residential Intelligence Lab construction with manufacturers in the MIT Pacific NW National , residential housing sector. Phone: 617-253-7877 Group, is researching This issue of Technology Scanning is Email: [email protected] advanced controls, low-cost, highly one in a series. Each issue in the series falls into one of the following categories: www.ai.mit.edu reliable long-life sensors, automated • Design and Internet Tools diagnostics, and advanced micro-scale • Safety Embedded Technologies in Houses HVAC technology. The micro-scale HVAC • Surfaces and Interior Finishes • Building Envelope Technologies As a connected technology to the technology consists of compact heat • Electrical project above, this technology makes a , miniature heat actuated • Plumbing • Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning house responsive and reactive to compressors, and a micro-channel heat • /Power Systems Generation environmental influences, much like the exchanger. This technology could make • Basic • Information Technology human body does. As the body automation control available on a • Sustainable Design Strategies automatically adjusts itself to the miniaturized scale. • Materials Recycling and Reuse • Thermal and Moisture Protection surrounding conditions, so, too, would Contact: • Indoor Environmental Quality the house. Embedding thinking chips, Bernie Saffell Call the ToolBase Hotline at sensors, and other control devices will Pacific NW National Laboratory 800-898-2842 for information about other available Technology Scanning issues. Or, allow homes to anticipate, adjust, and Richland, WA log onto pathnet.org and www.toolbase.org. react to changes around it. Phone: 509-372-4565 Contact: Email: [email protected] Chris Luebkeman www.pnl.gov/microcats Assistant Professor 451 7th Street, SW MIT Washington, DC 20410 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] www.web.mit.edu/newsoffice/mr/1998/ house.html Issue 1 November 2001 Information for FIRST RESPONDERS TO AN INDOOR CHEMICAL RELEASE Ventilation System OFF Flows depend strongly on wind and on the indoor-outdoor difference, especially when windows are open. Courtesy: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Outdoors Warmer: Outdoors Cooler: Indoor air, which carries the , tends Indoor air, which carries the contamination, tends to descend as it leaks from the building. Outside to rise as it leaks from the building. Outside air air enters upper floors. Some contamination may enters lower floors. Some contamination may still still move upwards due to local flows or drafts. move downwards due to local flows or drafts.

Air Quality Intelligent Air Quality Monitoring Materials Produce No Out-gassing Indoor Sources Study The Idaho National Engineering Materials that produce no out- and Environmental Lab has a project, gassing in closed system environments LBNL has a large research program which integrates embedded sensors and (like the space station) can significantly on the indoor environment, including air micro-systems to detect, measure, and improve indoor air quality. In outer space, distribution and ventilation in analyze indoor air quality. They then use it’s critical to survival. Applied to homes commercial and residential buildings, the information to make necessary on earth, it creates healthier living spaces. chemistry and physics of indoor air adjustments in the HVAC system to meet Any gasses given off materials can , air flows and pollutant pre-determined parameters for indoor air dramatically affect the air quality of the within buildings, and exposures quality. (Project reference INEEL-4) space station. Materials NASA is to airborne and resulting Contact: researching in various applications health risks. Idaho National Engineering and include glass textiles, non-porous Although this research program is Environmental Laboratory composites, non-toxic adhesives, and not funded to answer questions about the Idaho Falls, ID material surfaces that do not promote above topics from home builders, Phone: 800-708-2680 bacterial growth. They are also building owners and the general public, Email: [email protected] researching materials which will assist in the researchers maintain a useful website low noise propagation. where the visitor can identify existing “Displacement Ventilation” Contact: publications in journals, in conference Indoor Air Quality Laura Nelson papers, and as LBNL reports. It is then Sponsored by ASHRAE, this is an NASA International Space Station Project possible to request copies of specific approach to ventilation that improves Email: [email protected] publications from LBNL. indoor air quality while saving energy. www.jsc.nasa.gov The website of the Indoor “Displacement ventilation’’ provides Environment Department is: cleaner air with greater comfort while http://eetd.lbl.gov/ied.html reducing the amount of air needing Contact: heating or cooling. It is an alternative Lawrence Berkeley National Lab method to move hot or cold air in Email: [email protected] a structure. Contact: Professor Quingyen Chen or Leon Glickman MIT www.architecture.mit.edu/research/bt/ iaq_fdv.htnl