ASHRAE Journal - December 2019 - 67

COLUMN IEQ APPLICATIONS

* Red for low quality.
particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), ozone, benzene,
These four colors are used because of their familiarity
and radon. Twelve indicators characterizing luminous
to building stakeholders and to enable simple commu(visual) environment indicators were identiﬁed with
nication of the level of quality of each parameter and
illuminance level, daylight factor, and spatial daylight
component that is used to describe IEQ.
autonomy being the most commonly used.
The overall quality of the indoor environment is
Among the many parameters used to characterize IEQ
derived using the quality levels of each of the four comin the certiﬁcation schemes, 12 parameters common to
ponents of the TAIL. The overall level of IEQ is the lowmost of the schemes were chosen to describe the level of
est quality level among the four components to create
IEQ in the TAIL index:
an incentive to improve IEQ. The overall quality level is
* The indoor temperature in different seasons to
indicated in the middle of the TAIL index by a Roman
describe the thermal environment (T);
number, where:
* Noise level to characterize the acoustic environment (A);
* I indicates high quality;
* Ventilation rate, concentrations of CO2, formaldehyde, benzene, PM2.5 and radon, relative humidity and
* II indicates medium quality;
visible mold to describe indoor air quality (I); and
* III indicates moderate quality; and
* Illuminance and daylight factor to characterize the
* IV indicates low quality.
luminous environment (L).
The Roman numbers are used to match the quality
TAIL parameters are compliant with documents that
levels with the categories of the indoor environment
are prepared by the European Commission and standeﬁned by the EN standard 16798-1 (2019), one of the
dards supporting EPBD, such as Level(s) and EN 16798,
standards supporting the implementation of EPBD.
To assist the process of selecting parameters rating the as well as major green building and sustainability
certiﬁcation schemes (Table 1). The parameters docuquality of thermal (T), acoustic (A), luminous (L) envimenting IAQ conditions that reduce
ronments and indoor air quality (I), the
FIGURE 1 ALDREN-TAIL index, in short TAIL.
health risk comply with the WHO Air
methods for their assessment proposed by
Quality Guidelines (2006, 2010). With the
thirteen green building and sustainability
selected parameters, TAIL can be detercertiﬁcation schemes were examined and
mined with only small extensions to the
summarized (Wei et al., 2019). As ALDREN
measuring protocol when performing
project has been launched to address
building certiﬁcation using major green
EPBD and challenges in the European
building and sustainability certiﬁcation
building stock, the focus was on the
schemes such as Well, HQE, DGNB, and
schemes developed in European countries
LEED. In this way, there is a possibility for
because they were expected to accord
quick adoption of TAIL .
with EU regulations, standards, climate, and European
To deﬁne whether the 12 parameters included in TAIL
traditions for construction; four non-European schemes
describe conditions of high or low quality, their levels are
were also reviewed because they are used globally.
compared against the values and ranges prescribed by
Nineteen indicators characterizing thermal environthe standard EN16798-1 (2019) and recommended by the
ment were identiﬁed, with the most common being
WHO Air Quality Guidelines (2006, 2010). It was decided
Predicted Mean Vote (PMV), Predicted Percentage
that the rating of TAIL components is determined by
Dissatisﬁed (PPD), room operative temperature, room
these values and ranges and not by the arbitrary credits
air relative humidity, and air speed. Twenty indicators
as it is the case in most certiﬁcation schemes.
characterizing acoustic environment were identiﬁed,
Objective measurements using standardized methods
the most common being ambient noise (sound level)
have been chosen for determining TAIL parameters,
and reverberation time. Thirty-nine indicators charexcept visible mold assessed by observations and dayacterizing IAQ were identiﬁed among which the most
light factor that can only be modelled. Subjective ratings
commonly used were ventilation rate and concentraobtained through occupant questionnaires were not
tions of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), formaldehyde, carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), included to assess the TAIL level because no standard
D E C E M B E R 2 0 19

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