Laura Timberlake
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has published a handbook to foster a greater understanding of the indoor air quality (IAQ) verification methods in the National Construction Code (NCC) Volumes One and Two.
The IAQ verification methods include FV4.1 and FV4.2 (of NCC Volume One) and V2.4.5 of (NCC Volume Two). The handbook is written by Vince Aherne, F.AIRAH, with support from the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH).
Ahern says the handbook is very useful to industry practitioners, because it steps them through the many aspects of IAQ that need to be understood when departing from deemed to satisfy ventilation solutions.
“As well as providing significant detail on the background and technical application of the NCC ventilation verification methods, it also looks at diverse IAQ topics such as sourcing low-emission building materials, the established protocols for monitoring and measuring indoor air contaminants, and the digital tools available for modelling and simulating the IAQ outcomes from alternative ventilation system/IAQ management approaches,” he says.
The ABCB has developed a series of handbooks in response to questions about the built environment posed by industry, government and the community. Although the handbooks are intended as guides, they expand on existing topics that might not be covered by regulation.
The ABCB hopes the IAQ document will be used “to develop solutions relevant to specific situations in accordance with the generic principles and criteria in the NCC”.
It is available as a free download here.
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