Evaluation of indoor air quality and thermal comfort in four university libraries in Vienna

Abstract

Based on research conducted in many countries around the world, personal experience and that of fellow colleagues, in some if not many of the university libraries, the indoor environment is suboptimal due to bad lighting and ventilation systems that don´t meet the requirements.<br />In order to analyze the quality of the indoor environment in such locations, four libraries in Vienna were chosen as follows: Vienna University of Technology Library, University of Vienna Library, University of Veterinary Medicine Library and Academy of Fine Arts Library. The aim of this research was to investigate if changes in the lighting and air conditioning systems could provide a safer and more comfortable indoor environment for its users. The four buildings that were analyzed are in different locations around Vienna, two were built in the 1800s and the other two nearly 20 years ago. The research was carried throughout a period of ten months during which time, a collection of data for temperature, humidity indices, and carbon dioxide concentrations was acquired. The data was assessed through sensors mounted in each selected location targeting a better understanding of the indoor air quality and thermal comfort.<br />

Based on research conducted in many countries around the world, personal experience and that of fellow colleagues, in some if not many of the university libraries, the indoor environment is suboptimal due to bad lighting and ventilation systems that don´t meet the requirements.<br />In order to analyze the quality of the indoor environment in such locations, four libraries in Vienna were chosen as follows: Vienna University of Technology Library, University of Vienna Library, University of Veterinary Medicine Library and Academy of Fine Arts Library. The aim of this research was to investigate if changes in the lighting and air conditioning systems could provide a safer and more comfortable indoor environment for its users. The four buildings that were analyzed are in different locations around Vienna, two were built in the 1800s and the other two nearly 20 years ago. The research was carried throughout a period of ten months during which time, a collection of data for temperature, humidity indices, and carbon dioxide concentrations was acquired. The data was assessed through sensors mounted in each selected location targeting a better understanding of the indoor air quality and thermal comfort.<br />