Important results from the SCANVAC conference in Finland June 2-5, 2018
This Scanvac´s 14th conference had close to 300 participants from over 30 countries. About 200 papers were presented in the conference, and published in the conference proceedings. Highest numbers of papers came from Japan (40), Germany (24) and the host country Finland (23). Totally about one fourth of presentations were from SCANVAC countries. Surprisingly only one from the US. Sixteen best papers were awarded; four from Japan, three from Germany and two from Finland. RoomVent has been organised under umbrella of SCANVAC since 1987. The next RoomVent Conference will be in Torino, Italy on June 14-17, 2020.
Every conference day began with an invited plenary presentation. The first plenary speaker was professor of architecture Mr Jarmo Suominen from Aalto University. His presentation was very unusual for an architect. The focus in his speech was the services of the buildings for the users, not the aesthetic values of the buildings. The buildings have to serve the occupants and users of the buildings the whole life time of the building. It means that building and its technical system should be flexible and easy to adapt into the varying use of the building. He saw also a need for the new business models for the building services, like life time service contracts and performance guarantees, maybe even the ownership of the technical systems of buildings. The experts in the panel, after the presentation agreed this. As the working methods are changing the buildings and its technical systems should be flexible and adaptable. Flexible ventilation technology and higher comfort of occupants was the topic of several papers in the conference.
It is important for the building owner and employer that the indoor climate of building enhances the health, well-being and the performance of the occupants. The objective of the indoor climate shall not be only to fulfil the minimum requirements but should be better. This was the main message of the plenary speaker on the second day, prof Pawel Wargocki from Danish Technical University. In his presentation he also described the future of the indoor environment including the individual control regarding both thermal environment and indoor air quality.
Another important theme in the conference was how to serve better the individual needs of the occupants regarding the indoor environment. This is important as the preferences of the occupants vary individually, and the average conditions do not satisfy all. Technology offers means for better control. Biometric sensor can be with low cost integrated with the building systems. Professor Sepponen from Aalto University presented how the biometric sensors can used to estimate the status of heath of the occupants. The technical systems have to be easier to control and user friendly. Communication between the occupants and technical systems have to be improved. The acceptance and comfort of the occupants can be predicted better and better even in non-uniform conditions. Prof Dirk Muller for Achen presented in his plenary on interesting overview of the development of the Fangers whole body comfort equation to the multizone comfort model which can be used in non-uniform conditions.
Non- uniform conditions were a leading theme in several conference papers both in thermal comfort and indoor air quality. Better criteria for well-being are needed for the basis of technical development. Driving forces for the development are the energy efficiency and individual human needs. The energy efficiency can be improved with localised environmental control like personal ventilation and work site focused thermal control. The environmental control of interiors of vehicles seemed to be source of innovation in several papers. Draft criteria in non-uniform velocity fields, distribution of air velocity and pollutant concentration etc. The major question is how to control the micro environment around an occupant. In the area of air quality this is like an expansion for demand controlled ventilation. The system should not react only to the average number of occupants but also the position of the occupants in the space. The signal for the control can be obtained through the cameras or individual sensors not only based on the average level of pollutants like CO2 Ways to adjust the ventilation rates and air distribution of the room in various situations, were the topics of several papers and workshops.
Individual control of the environment and transfer of pollutants in hospital environment was a topic of several papers and conference sessions. The use of air curtains and localised ventilation, and even personal ventilation are important in hospitals. Pollutant control and ventilation can be integrated in hospital furniture and equipment, a curiosity was the integration of air pollutant absorbent into the mattress of the bed in the elderly home.
The world-famous scientist in the area of personal ventilation is prof Arsen Melokov from Danish Technical University. His work has had a significant effect on the advancement of personal ventilation during last 20 years. He has developed the theory for personal ventilation. He has made a huge number of experiments regarding both energy efficiency and human acceptance of the personal ventilation. His studies covered the integration of ventilation in workstations, lamps, microphones etc. The studies on thermal comfort included the use of contact heating and cooling like electric chairs desks, carpets etc.
SCANVAC has recognised the prominent scientist with and prestigious award since the beginning of the RoomVent Conference. This SCANVAC Gold Medal was established to honour the work of prof John Rydberg who worked at Royal Technical University in Stockholm until 1986. Prof Rydberg has been called often as the father of the conception for ventilation efficiency. The 2018 award was given to prof Arsen Melikov during the opening of the conference. The award consists of gold medal certificate and prize of 2 000 euros. Arsen Melikov has been a professor with Technical University of Denmark since 2008 at International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy.
RoomVent conference 2018 was integrated also with the industrial ventilation Conference “Ventilation” conference. However, the number of the papers on industrial ventilation was not vary high, the research activity in industrial ventilation seem to be higher in Asia than in Europe. One important step, however, in the area was taken during the conference. The revision of the Industrial Ventilation Guide book has started. The previous edition is about fifteen years old. The new edition should be available in 2021. The editor in chief of the new edition, as the previous one, is prof Howard Goodfellow from Toronto, Canada. The publisher of the Guidebook will be Elsevier.
Better building services and energy efficiency are not conflicting objectives in building services. This is also thinking behind the revised energy performance buildings directive (EPBD 2018). It requests the EU Commission to develop a Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) which includes also the evaluation of systems regarding their ability to serve better the occupants of building.
SCANVAC organised a workshop dealing the pros and cons of this indicator. The final contents of SRI on the table now as the third version of the indicator is open for public comments in June /July 2018. In the workshop part of the participants were favourable for the indicator as proposed, part considered that the indicator is not applicable as it does not include any calculated effect on energy use or indoor environment. Some of the participants considered the indicator completely useless. The positive feature of this indicator which is based only the installed building automation systems, is that it will be a good tool for promoting more effective building automation and control. Effects on indoor environment are also included in the indicated which is the first time when DG energy takes so seriously the indoor environment, and not only energy use. SCANVAC will use the result of the workshop when formulating its own position regarding the indicator. The seminar was chaired by prof Markku Virtanen from Aalto University. Prof Ivo Martinac from KTH was one of the main presenters in the seminar.
New topic areas in the conference were hospital ventilation and indoor environment in vehicles. Prevention of virus and bacteria with air currents was an important topic both in vehicles and in hospital environment both in operating theatres and in wards. Ventilation in the schools seem to be a universal problem. Several papers focused on environmental control of class room for better learning environment in developing learning environment.
Natural ventilation has always been an important topic are in RoomVent conferences. Its use in SCNVAC countries is very limited but in Middle and Southern Europe it is the most common method for ventilation. The scientific level of papers on natural ventilation was very good.
SCANVAC, the Federation of Scandinavian HVAC Associations, represents about 20 000 experts in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Sweden. SCANVAC secretariat is located in Helsinki, Finland, in postal address Sitratori 5, 00420 Helsinki. Scanvac president is professor emeritus, Olli Seppänen and secretary general Ms Siru Lönnqvist. More information of the conference from https://roomventilation2018.org/
Conference photos available at https://roomventilation2018.org/photo-gallery/
Every conference day began with an invited plenary presentation. The first plenary speaker was professor of architecture Mr Jarmo Suominen from Aalto University. His presentation was very unusual for an architect. The focus in his speech was the services of the buildings for the users, not the aesthetic values of the buildings. The buildings have to serve the occupants and users of the buildings the whole life time of the building. It means that building and its technical system should be flexible and easy to adapt into the varying use of the building. He saw also a need for the new business models for the building services, like life time service contracts and performance guarantees, maybe even the ownership of the technical systems of buildings. The experts in the panel, after the presentation agreed this. As the working methods are changing the buildings and its technical systems should be flexible and adaptable. Flexible ventilation technology and higher comfort of occupants was the topic of several papers in the conference.
It is important for the building owner and employer that the indoor climate of building enhances the health, well-being and the performance of the occupants. The objective of the indoor climate shall not be only to fulfil the minimum requirements but should be better. This was the main message of the plenary speaker on the second day, prof Pawel Wargocki from Danish Technical University. In his presentation he also described the future of the indoor environment including the individual control regarding both thermal environment and indoor air quality.
Another important theme in the conference was how to serve better the individual needs of the occupants regarding the indoor environment. This is important as the preferences of the occupants vary individually, and the average conditions do not satisfy all. Technology offers means for better control. Biometric sensor can be with low cost integrated with the building systems. Professor Sepponen from Aalto University presented how the biometric sensors can used to estimate the status of heath of the occupants. The technical systems have to be easier to control and user friendly. Communication between the occupants and technical systems have to be improved. The acceptance and comfort of the occupants can be predicted better and better even in non-uniform conditions. Prof Dirk Muller for Achen presented in his plenary on interesting overview of the development of the Fangers whole body comfort equation to the multizone comfort model which can be used in non-uniform conditions.
Non- uniform conditions were a leading theme in several conference papers both in thermal comfort and indoor air quality. Better criteria for well-being are needed for the basis of technical development. Driving forces for the development are the energy efficiency and individual human needs. The energy efficiency can be improved with localised environmental control like personal ventilation and work site focused thermal control. The environmental control of interiors of vehicles seemed to be source of innovation in several papers. Draft criteria in non-uniform velocity fields, distribution of air velocity and pollutant concentration etc. The major question is how to control the micro environment around an occupant. In the area of air quality this is like an expansion for demand controlled ventilation. The system should not react only to the average number of occupants but also the position of the occupants in the space. The signal for the control can be obtained through the cameras or individual sensors not only based on the average level of pollutants like CO2 Ways to adjust the ventilation rates and air distribution of the room in various situations, were the topics of several papers and workshops.
Individual control of the environment and transfer of pollutants in hospital environment was a topic of several papers and conference sessions. The use of air curtains and localised ventilation, and even personal ventilation are important in hospitals. Pollutant control and ventilation can be integrated in hospital furniture and equipment, a curiosity was the integration of air pollutant absorbent into the mattress of the bed in the elderly home.
The world-famous scientist in the area of personal ventilation is prof Arsen Melokov from Danish Technical University. His work has had a significant effect on the advancement of personal ventilation during last 20 years. He has developed the theory for personal ventilation. He has made a huge number of experiments regarding both energy efficiency and human acceptance of the personal ventilation. His studies covered the integration of ventilation in workstations, lamps, microphones etc. The studies on thermal comfort included the use of contact heating and cooling like electric chairs desks, carpets etc.
SCANVAC has recognised the prominent scientist with and prestigious award since the beginning of the RoomVent Conference. This SCANVAC Gold Medal was established to honour the work of prof John Rydberg who worked at Royal Technical University in Stockholm until 1986. Prof Rydberg has been called often as the father of the conception for ventilation efficiency. The 2018 award was given to prof Arsen Melikov during the opening of the conference. The award consists of gold medal certificate and prize of 2 000 euros. Arsen Melikov has been a professor with Technical University of Denmark since 2008 at International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy.
RoomVent conference 2018 was integrated also with the industrial ventilation Conference “Ventilation” conference. However, the number of the papers on industrial ventilation was not vary high, the research activity in industrial ventilation seem to be higher in Asia than in Europe. One important step, however, in the area was taken during the conference. The revision of the Industrial Ventilation Guide book has started. The previous edition is about fifteen years old. The new edition should be available in 2021. The editor in chief of the new edition, as the previous one, is prof Howard Goodfellow from Toronto, Canada. The publisher of the Guidebook will be Elsevier.
Better building services and energy efficiency are not conflicting objectives in building services. This is also thinking behind the revised energy performance buildings directive (EPBD 2018). It requests the EU Commission to develop a Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) which includes also the evaluation of systems regarding their ability to serve better the occupants of building.
SCANVAC organised a workshop dealing the pros and cons of this indicator. The final contents of SRI on the table now as the third version of the indicator is open for public comments in June /July 2018. In the workshop part of the participants were favourable for the indicator as proposed, part considered that the indicator is not applicable as it does not include any calculated effect on energy use or indoor environment. Some of the participants considered the indicator completely useless. The positive feature of this indicator which is based only the installed building automation systems, is that it will be a good tool for promoting more effective building automation and control. Effects on indoor environment are also included in the indicated which is the first time when DG energy takes so seriously the indoor environment, and not only energy use. SCANVAC will use the result of the workshop when formulating its own position regarding the indicator. The seminar was chaired by prof Markku Virtanen from Aalto University. Prof Ivo Martinac from KTH was one of the main presenters in the seminar.
New topic areas in the conference were hospital ventilation and indoor environment in vehicles. Prevention of virus and bacteria with air currents was an important topic both in vehicles and in hospital environment both in operating theatres and in wards. Ventilation in the schools seem to be a universal problem. Several papers focused on environmental control of class room for better learning environment in developing learning environment.
Natural ventilation has always been an important topic are in RoomVent conferences. Its use in SCNVAC countries is very limited but in Middle and Southern Europe it is the most common method for ventilation. The scientific level of papers on natural ventilation was very good.
SCANVAC, the Federation of Scandinavian HVAC Associations, represents about 20 000 experts in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Sweden. SCANVAC secretariat is located in Helsinki, Finland, in postal address Sitratori 5, 00420 Helsinki. Scanvac president is professor emeritus, Olli Seppänen and secretary general Ms Siru Lönnqvist. More information of the conference from https://roomventilation2018.org/
Conference photos available at https://roomventilation2018.org/photo-gallery/
Prof Arsen Melikov (right) was honoured at the conference with the Scanvac Gold Medal and reward of 2000 euros presented by the Scanvac president Olli Seppänen.
Editorial articles:
You can download the conference proceedings and presentations here:
| proceedings_rv2018_web_small_v25062018__1_.pdf |