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The Indoor Air Quality Laboratory of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) operates within the Group of Building Environmental Studies (GrBES) of the Department of Physics. The laboratory conducts research and applied studies in the fields of indoor environmental quality, building energy performance, environmental monitoring, and advanced environmental materials.
Its activities include experimental investigations, environmental monitoring campaigns, and performance assessments related to indoor air quality, building energy consumption, and the environmental behavior of construction materials. The laboratory also performs environmental measurements in outdoor environments, including urban areas, industrial facilities, transportation infrastructures, and other locations of environmental interest.
Through the combination of experimental research, field measurements, and advanced numerical simulations, the laboratory contributes to the development of sustainable buildings, energy-efficient technologies, and improved environmental conditions in the built and urban environment. The laboratory also provides technical expertise and environmental assessments supporting research projects, technical studies, and environmental monitoring initiatives.
Key Research Areas
The main research areas of the laboratory include:
Indoor air quality and environmental pollution
Building energy performance and energy efficiency
Thermal comfort and indoor environmental conditions
Solar radiation and daylighting
Environmental monitoring in urban environments
Development and evaluation of advanced environmental materials
Urban climate and mitigation of the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect
Life-cycle environmental assessment of buildings and materials.
Certification and Quality Assurance
The laboratory operates under a Quality Management System certified according to ISO 9001, ensuring that all measurements, experimental procedures, and analyses are performed according to internationally recognized quality standards, including:
ISO, EN, ASTM and national standards
Official methods defined by European and national legislation
Methods recommended by international organizations such as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Methods widely accepted by the international scientific community.
Through these procedures, the laboratory provides reliable measurements, certified technical reports, and scientific analyses for research projects, environmental assessments, technical studies, and participation in public tenders.
Laboratory Infrastructure
The laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation for environmental monitoring, building diagnostics, and material characterization, supporting both research activities and applied environmental studies.
Material Characterization and Environmental Performance of Materials
The laboratory includes advanced instrumentation for the characterization of optical, thermal and structural properties of construction and environmental materials.
A UV/VIS/NIR spectrophotometer (Varian Cary 5000) equipped with a 150 mm integrating sphere (Labsphere DRA-2500) is used for the measurement of spectral reflectance and optical properties of materials.
Infrared emissivity is determined using an Emissometer Model AE (Devices & Services).
Thermal properties of materials, including thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat capacity, are measured using a Transient Plane Source TPS 1500 (Hot Disk) according to the ISO 22007-2 standard.
Material durability and weathering performance can be evaluated using a Q-SUN Xenon Test Chamber, which allows accelerated ageing tests under controlled environmental conditions.
The laboratory is also equipped with a Flame-S-UV-VIS-ES spectroradiometer (Ocean Optics) with fiber-optic integrating spheres, used for solar spectral irradiance measurements and evaluation of the UV protection performance of materials, including textiles, shading fabrics and polymer films, under real outdoor exposure conditions. A Textile Conditioning Cabinet (TCC09) is used to maintain stable environmental conditions during measurement campaigns.
Additional infrastructure for material characterization includes:
GEMINI VII 2390 Micromeritics Surface Analyzer / Porosimeter for pore structure and surface analysis
Milestone FlexiWave microwave system for digestion processes and nanomaterial synthesis
ZPrinter 310 Plus 3D printer for experimental material development.
Indoor Environmental Quality and Ventilation
The laboratory includes advanced equipment for the monitoring of indoor environmental conditions and ventilation performance. Instrumentation includes:
INNOVA 1312 tracer gas system for air exchange rate measurements
Blower Door system for building airtightness testing
Tinytag and Rotronic sensors for temperature and relative humidity monitoring
Swema Thermal Comfort instrumentation (ISO 7730) for PMV/PPD indices and air velocity measurements
TSI P-Trak for ultrafine particles
Tongdy TSP-18 sensors for Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOCs)
Air pollution monitoring is performed using:
Turnkey Osiris for particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM10)
HAZ-SCANNER HIM-6000 multi-gas monitoring system
Thermo Scientific gas analyzers for NO, NO₂, NOx, CO, CO₂, SO₂ and O₃.
Building diagnostics are also performed using a FLIR C2 thermal imaging camera.
Experimental Facilities
The research group operates specialized experimental facilities for building performance analysis and environmental monitoring. These facilities include:
PASSYS test cell, a fully instrumented experimental building unit used for monitoring and controlling climatic and energy parameters in buildings and for evaluating building envelope and energy performance.
Mobile environmental monitoring station with a 20 m meteorological mast, used for field campaigns and continuous monitoring of atmospheric and microclimatic parameters in urban environments.
Simulation and Modelling Tools
The laboratory also performs advanced environmental and energy simulations using specialized software platforms. These include:
EnergyPlus/DesignBuilder for building energy performance simulation
ENVI-met for urban microclimate and urban heat island analysis
SimaPro for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and environmental impact evaluation.
Services
Services
The Indoor Air Quality Laboratory of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) provides specialized scientific, technical and consulting services related to environmental monitoring, building performance assessment and material characterization.
The laboratory collaborates with public authorities, research institutions, engineering companies and industrial partners, offering advanced measurements, environmental assessments and technical studies.
Indoor Air Quality Assessment
The laboratory provides comprehensive indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring and evaluation services for buildings. Measurements include:
Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOCs)
Particulate Matter (PM₂.₅, PM₁₀)
Carbon monoxide (CO)
Formaldehyde (HCHO)
These measurements enable evaluation of indoor environmental conditions and identification of potential air quality issues in buildings such as offices, schools, hospitals and residential properties.
Thermal Comfort and Indoor Environmental Monitoring
The laboratory performs thermal comfort and environmental monitoring studies inside buildings. Measurements include:
Air temperature
Relative humidity
Air velocity
Thermal comfort indices (PMV – PPD)
These analyses support building performance assessments and optimization of indoor environmental conditions for occupants.
Ventilation and Building Airtightness Assessment
The laboratory performs ventilation performance measurements and air exchange rate assessments using tracer gas techniques. Services include:
Air exchange rate measurements
Ventilation efficiency evaluation
Building airtightness testing using Blower Door systems
These measurements help identify ventilation deficiencies and uncontrolled air infiltration in buildings.
Building Energy Performance and Diagnostics
The laboratory provides energy performance evaluation and diagnostic studies for buildings. Services include:
Thermal inspections using infrared thermography
Detection of heat losses and insulation deficiencies
Evaluation of building envelope performance
Energy efficiency assessments and retrofit analyses.
Outdoor Environmental Monitoring
The laboratory performs environmental monitoring campaigns in urban and industrial environments. Measurements include:
Nitrogen oxides (NO, NO₂, NOx)
Carbon monoxide (CO)
Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
Sulfur dioxide (SO₂)
Ozone (O₃)
Benzene (C₆H₆)
Particulate matter (PM₁, PM₂.₅, PM₁₀)
Meteorological parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and wind direction can also be monitored. Monitoring campaigns can be carried out in:
Urban areas
Industrial sites
Transportation infrastructures
Ports and other locations of environmental interest.
Characterization of Construction Materials
The laboratory performs experimental characterization of construction materials in order to evaluate their environmental and energy performance. Measurements include:
Solar reflectance (SR)
Infrared emissivity
Solar Reflectance Index (SRI)
Thermal conductivity
Thermal diffusivity
Specific heat capacity
Color coordinates and brightness.
These measurements support material development, product certification and evaluation of innovative environmental materials.
Urban Microclimate and Environmental Simulation
The laboratory performs advanced numerical simulations and environmental modelling related to buildings and urban environments. Services include:
1) Building Energy Simulation
Simulation of building energy performance and evaluation of energy retrofit scenarios using:
EnergyPlus
DesignBuilder
2) Urban Climate and Microclimate Analysis
Assessment of urban heat island effects and urban microclimate conditions using:
ENVI-met
These analyses support bioclimatic urban design and climate-sensitive urban planning strategies.
Life Cycle Environmental Assessment
The laboratory performs Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies to evaluate the environmental impact of buildings, materials and technological systems. Using SimaPro, analyses cover the full life cycle of a product or system:
Raw material extraction
Production processes
Use phase
End-of-life management.
These studies support sustainable design strategies and environmental impact reduction.
Collaboration and Technical Support
The laboratory can provide technical expertise and specialised environmental assessments in the framework of:
Research and innovation projects
Environmental monitoring campaigns
Technical studies and consultancy services
Public procurement procedures and technical evaluations.
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