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Engineering and technology
- Sustainable building
- Building physics
Indoor Air Quality significantly impacts global health, with an estimated 2200 DALYs/100,000 person/year, constituting 7% of the global burden of disease. While current assessment methods, primarily Disability Adjusted Life Years, offer a comprehensive evaluation of indoor air quality, they lack integration with broader sustainability considerations. This research aligns with a paradigm shift in building system engineering toward health-based performance assessment by developing a Lifecycle Health Impact metric. This metric quantifies health effects related to the production and operation of indoor air quality management systems, facilitating building-level comparisons. Reduced-order building models for coupled building energy and indoor air quality simulations are developed to assess the impact of changing conditions, outdoor air quality, and building stock modifications on a larger scale. Aligned with evolving legislative and health-centric trends, the research provides a nuanced understanding of indoor air quality management strategies' impact on health, sustainability, and energy efficiency. The research aims to guide the design and implementation of future indoor air quality strategies, fostering a holistic approach to balance public health and environmental impact.