Towards a harmonized database of indoor air contaminant concentrations : methods and application to CO2

Rojas, Gabriel and Staffer, Reto and Casquero-Modrego, Núria and Loomans, Marcel and Abadie, Marc and Alhindawi, Ibrahim and Babich, Francesco and Bekö, Gabriel and Coggins, Marie and Cremers, Bart and Damberger, Bernhard and Freundorfer, Timm and Garcia-Ortega, Sonia and Hassan, Hala and Jones, Benjamin and Justo Alonso, Maria and Lara-Ibeas, Irene and McGill, Grainne and McGrath, James and Monge-Barrio, Aurora and Molina, Constanza and Moreno-Rangel, Alejandro and Tappler, Peter and Toledo, Linda (2026) Towards a harmonized database of indoor air contaminant concentrations : methods and application to CO2. Building and Environment, 292. pp. 1-19. 114297. ISSN 0360-1323 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2026.114297)

Preview

Text. Filename: Rojas-etal-BE-2026-Towards-a-harmonized-database-of-indoor-air-contaminant-concentrations.pdf Final Published Version License: Download (3MB)| Preview

Abstract

Reliable data on indoor air quality (IAQ) is essential for design and operation of energy-efficient and healthy residential buildings. This work introduces a standardized methodology to systematically compile, process, and analyze IAQ measurement data, enabling the creation of a harmonized IAQ database. Developed within the IEA EBC Annex 86 project, the open-source algorithm ensures compatibility, data protection, and scalability by aggregating time series measurements into monthly summaries while preserving distributional information and linking them to relevant meta-information. This methodology was applied to create a comprehensive, open-access dataset integrating indoor air contaminant measurements from numerous IAQ studies covering residential homes with varied building types, ventilation strategies, climates and occupancy patterns. The dataset enables consistent statistical analysis and interpretation of IAQ data collected through heterogeneous methods, supporting robust cross-study comparison and benchmarking. As the dataset grows, it will enable harm-based analyses, an emerging paradigm in indoor air quality regulation. The paper exemplifies the utility of the harmonized database by analyzing CO2 concentration data from 18 studies encompassing over 1,000 homes, with a focus on bedrooms. The results quantify the concentration distribution encountered in bedrooms across diverse regulatory and building contexts. Results highlight significant variations in CO2 levels influenced by ventilation type, building characteristics, and ambient temperature, emphasizing the importance of standardized data for advancing IAQ research, policy development, and occupant health assessments. Ultimately, the harmonized dataset and methodology can serve as a critical resource for researchers, practitioners, and regulators aiming to optimize indoor environmental quality while advancing energy-efficient residential building design globally.

ORCID iDs

McGill, Grainne ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8716-9567

Moreno-Rangel, Alejandro ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6405-4233

Toledo, Linda ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6352-7913

• Share and Export
  

  HTML CitationSimple MetadataMPEG-21 DIDLMultiline CSVData Cite XMLJSONOpenURL ContextObject in SpanMODSRDF+N3METSDublin CoreReferRefWorksOpenURL ContextObjectEP3 XMLRIS (EndNote Online, Zotero, Ref manager, etc)EndNoteASCII CitationRDF+N-TriplesRIOXX2 XMLRDF+XMLBibTeXAtom
• Item metadata

  Item type:	Article
  ID code:	95571
  Dates:	Date Event 15 March 2026 Published 5 February 2026 Published Online 25 January 2026 Accepted 19 November 2025 Submitted
  Subjects:	Fine Arts > Architecture
  Department:	Faculty of Engineering > Architecture
  Depositing user:	Pure Administrator
  Date deposited:	16 Feb 2026 17:06
  Last modified:	11 Mar 2026 02:02
  Related URLs:	Scopus publication
  URI:	https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/95571