Ventilation retrofitting for improving indoor air quality in spaces with high occupant density

Year-long monitoring of indoor air quality in school classrooms and aged care homes provided a comprehensive understanding of the actual conditions of the spaces and highlighted the performance gap between design expectations and building operation.

HVAC systems are often incapable of handling the excessive peak occupancy in individual rooms. However, any modifications to existing systems to improve airflow involve significant costs. A ventilation retrofit trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the technology in school classrooms and aged care homes showed that indoor carbon dioxide concentration levels were significantly reduced.

About Priya

Professor Priya Rajagopalan is a building scientist and Associate Dean, Research and Innovation at the School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University. She is also the Director of the Post Carbon Research Centre, which tackles the complex challenges involved in decarbonising the built environment and infrastructures to transition to a sustainable, equitable, and resilient future.

Priya’s research interests include building energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and urban climatology. She has coordinated several projects related to building performance and indoor air quality. She is a Past President of the Architectural Science Association and an Editorial Board member of the journal Energy and Buildings.