The Indoor Environment Handbook

Creating a healthy and comfortable indoor environment is a primary concern of all architects and building engineers. This highly practical handbook begins with a guide to how the body (and mind) react to different indoor environmental conditions, explaining the problems that can result from poor design, and indicating optimum responses. The book moves on to provide a background to the development of the study and control of the indoor environment, examining the main design considerations (including temperature, light, ventilation and noise) and discussing the drivers for change in the field. The final section presents a newly developed 'top-down' or systemic approach, where developing a holistic strategy for meeting the wishes and demands of the occupants becomes the overriding priority. This pioneering handbook is filled with useful facts, figures and analysis, and practical methods which designers and engineers can begin using immediately.