Practical Moisture Buffering to Improve Building Occupant Health and Wellbeing

A range of different illnesses are associated with high or low relative humidity, including respiratory illness such as asthma. Recent surveys show that the UK has the highest prevalence of respiratory symptoms and asthma worldwide as a result of poor indoor air quality. The benefits of moisture buffering materials are increasingly being recognised by material and product manufacturers. Statutory regulation is leading to increased airtightness in buildings to deliver improved energy performance. An unintended consequence of this has been a deterioration in indoor air quality caused by too high or too low levels of relative humidity. The relative humidity of the indoor space can have significant effects on the health of the occupants and health of the building fabric, which influence the comfort of occupants, durability of the building fabric, and the performance of active room conditioning systems.  

This PhD will develop state of the art experimental and analytical methods to fully utilise the moisture buffering effect of construction materials for improved relative humidity regulation. We will quantify the moisture buffering effect of materials, and determine how these scale from a lab environment to full size buildings. This will enable the complex dynamic behavior of the often-fluctuating relative humidity to be controlled and effectively considered in future design. 

This project will result in improved building occupant health and wellbeing, by the passive improvement of relative humidity. This research is essential to allow low-carbon technologies to be used without compromise to human wellbeing.