VALUING THE IMPACT OF FUNDAMENTAL DESIGN DECISIONS IN BUILDINGS: THE CASE FOR NOISE & OVERHEATING

VALUING THE IMPACT OF FUNDAMENTAL DESIGN
DECISIONS IN BUILDINGS: THE CASE FOR NOISE &
OVERHEATING
MBA, BSc (Hons), AMIOA. Hoare Lea LLP. dianasanchezhoarelea.comD (dianasanchez[at]hoarelea[dot]comD). Sanchez.
B. Jobling. MSc, BSc (Hons), MIOA. Hoare Lea LLP. bar ☁oblin hoareleacom
1 INTRODUCTION
It has been recognized that buildings can have a direct impact on our health and wellbeing, It is
estimated that people spend around 90% of their time indoors. highlighting the importance of a
holistic design in providing good quality indoor environments☁.
There is increasing evidence, however, suggesting that buildings are not always satisfying the
needs of its occupants, in terms of comfort, well-being, and cost. The performance gap conrms
that buildings do not actually perform as well as intended when they were designed 2' 3. Moreover,
according to the Health and Safety Executive around 30-50% of new buildings suffer from poor air
circulation, which in turn could trigger an increase in sick buildings syndrome☁. The WHO has
recognized that ☜bad☝ housing conditions can be a signicant public health issue5.
Part of the problem is the response to the increase specialisation in building design and compliance
with often disconnected regulations. This has led to treating the indoor environmental parameters
as separated in spite of their interdependence for determining the impact of the building on the
occupants.» The case for noise and overheating is one example of how compliance to standards on
one matter fail to provide a healthy environment when considering another aspects. This might
result in adverse impacts on health and wellbeing, associated to either exposure to high levels of
noise or high indoor temperatures.