Bartlett staff contribute to IBE Journal on low carbon buildings

Low-Carbon Buildings: Health, Wellbeing and Indoor Environmental Quality

Special Issue of Indoor and Built Environment Journal

As the low and zero carbon agenda become increasingly important for new-builds and retrofits of both residential and non-domestic buildings, the evaluation of its impact on occupant health and wellbeing must be urgently addressed. The Indoor and Built Environment Journal has dedicated a Special Issue to the topic, which includes papers authored by several Bartlett staff.

In her capacity of Guest Editor, Dr Marcella Ucci (Bartlett School of Graduate Studies), collaborated with the Journal’s Editor, Prof Chuck Yu, in the selection of suitable papers (in collaboration with the UKIEG) and in writing the Editorial arguing that the lack in joined-up thinking in the climate change and health policy agendas requires researchers to urgently address one of the main challenges in this field – namely how to ‘sell’ the importance and value of addressing complexity and uncertainty.

Another paper authored by Bartlett staff (C. Shrubsole, A. Macmillan, M. Davies, N. May) identifies more than 100 unintended consequences of policies to improve the energy efficiency of the UK housing stock, impacting upon building fabric, population health and the environment - thus highlighting the urgent need for government and society to reconsider its approach. The paper was featured on The Conversation, together with another paper from the Special Issue on the effectiveness of retrofitted green and cool roofs at reducing overheating in a naturally ventilated office in London, evaluating direct and indirect effects in current and future climates (Bartlett authors: G. Virk, A. Jansz, A. Mavrogianni, M. Davies).

The Special Issue also includes a paper examining a comparison of indoor air quality, energy performance, and student health within a Victorian school and a low carbon designed school (Bartlett authors: L. Chatzidiakou, D. Mumovic, A. J. Summerfield, S. M. Hong, H. Altamirano-Medina).

The Special Issue arose from the efforts of the UK Indoor Environments Group (UKIEG) in debating the topic of health and wellbeing within indoor environments, whereby last year and this year UKIEG Conferences have been dedicated to this topic within the context of low-carbon buildings.