ABSTRACT
This book is primarily about construction materials and their impact on IAQ and health. However it is necessary to address the issue of ventilation, understanding the importance of good ventilation to ensuring good IAQ. Furthermore there is increasing pressure, as build-ings become more and more energy efficient and airtight, to assume that mechanical ventilation is necessary and essential to healthier buildings. While this is normal in deep plan offices and other commercial buildings, it is increasingly assumed that mechanical ventil - ation is also necessary for houses, schools and smaller offices and that this may become compulsory under building regulations in the future. While it is essential to have good ventilation, it should not be assumed that this requires mechanical air handling and natural and manual ventilation can often be sufficient.
