Topic: A Breath Of Fresh Air

Abstract: We spend most of our life in indoor spaces. In recent times though, we are finding it hard to have access to something as basic as fresh air because of air pollution, covid-19, climate change (w.r.t. energy use), indoor air quality and thermal comfort related trade-offs to be made. For instance, if you open your windows, one may be concerned if there would be more air pollution entering the indoor spaces along with the fresh air. If you don’t open the windows, you may think of having higher risk of covid-19 in high occupancy areas apart from thermal discomfort and poor indoor air quality. If you provide this fresh air through HVAC systems for thermal comfort and better air quality, you may need to spend much more energy and ₹₹₹ than otherwise. The strategies may also vary for different climates, seasons and levels of urbanization of the region. In this regard, learnings from the existing body of work, results from some recent pilot studies and future research directions to update the ventilation guidelines for the country for our and our planet’s better health would be discussed. This talk should be a breath of fresh air :). See you there!

Speaker Bio:
Prof. Jay Dhariwal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Design, IIT Delhi. He is an alumnus of IIT Guwahati, Purdue University, USA and IIT Bombay. He did a couple of Postdocs from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA and University of Leeds, UK. His research interests are in the area of “Design for Health and Wellness in the Built Environment” with a present focus on air quality and adaptive thermal comfort.

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