The quality of the indoor environment as a component of comprehensive building assessment systems

Abstract

Currently, the market value of commercial building is influenced by a number of its features, which are subject to assessment and classification. Undoubtedly, an important component of this assessment is the level of indoor environment quality, the provision of which usually requires certain financial outlays, both of investment and operational character. At the beginning of this century, there was a clearly noticeable tendency to reduce investment costs, which most often boiled down to the reduction of the quality of ventilation and air conditioning systems in buildings, which resulted in irreversible consequences for users in the form of an increased level of discomfort and increased operating costs. An important element that can reverse this negative trend is commercial building certification systems. The study reviews a few selected certification systems that seem to be the most widespread on the European investment market, such as LEED®, BREEAM®, WELL® and TAIL®. The main purpose of the analysis was an attempt to estimate the importance of the quality and content of ventilation, air conditioning and heating installations (commonly known as HVAC installations) and the scope of their impact on the final effect and the level of the certificate assigned to the building.