10.shelter For Diff Condition - B

Shelter for different conditions
Building design with respect to high and low humidity &

condensation
HUMIDITY
Humidity – moisture content in air
• Amount of water vapor depends primarily on the temperature of the air.

• Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air, so as the air temperature falls,
the maximum amount of water the air can hold also falls.
RELATIVE HUMIDITY
Relative humidity = Actual amount of water vapor in the air X 100%
Max amount of water vapor that the air can hold at that air temperature
• As air temperature increases, its capacity to hold moisture also increases so if

air temperature rises and its moisture content remains the same, the RH
decreases.
RELATIVE HUMIDITY
SIGNIFICANCE OF RELATIVE HUMIDITY
Climate Control:
• Control of temperature and relative humidity for human comfort, health and
safety.
Comfort:
• Human body uses evaporative cooling as the primary mechanism to regulate
temperature.
• We feel warmer at a given temperature when the relative humidity is high than
when it is low.
SIGNIFICANCE OF RELATIVE HUMIDITY
Buildings:
• When the temperature is high and the relative humidity is low, evaporation of
water is rapid; soil dries, wet clothes hung on a line or rack dry quickly, and
perspiration readily evaporates from the skin.
• Wooden furniture can shrink, causing the paint that covers these surfaces to
fracture.
• When the relative humidity is high, evaporation of water is slow.
• When relative humidity is high, condensation can occur on surfaces, leading to

problems with mold, corrosion, decay, and other moisture-related
deterioration.
REASONS FOR HIGH HUMIDITY
• Household activities such as cooking, washing.
• Peoples’ breathing
• Water leakage through the building envelope -
Plumbing leaks.
• Retained construction moisture, i.e. moisture retained
in building materials such as timber framing, concrete
floors and plaster, after installation
Often the principal source of higher humidity in a home

is family’s living habits.
Adding only four to six pints of water to the air raises the relative humidity in a
1,000 square foot home from 15 to 60 percent, assuming the temperature is
constant.
IF HUMIDITY IS TOO HIGH
• facilitates the growth of fungi (mould) and bacteria that

can cause respiratory problems and/or allergic reactions
• provides the conditions for dust mite populations to grow,

which can affect asthma sufferers
• results in odors in poorly ventilated spaces because

of fungal growth
• Causes condensation forming on windows, walls and

ceilings that are colder than the air temperature and
potentially damaging building materials
IF HUMIDITY IS TOO LOW
• Low humidity causes static electricity, dry skin
& hair, itching & chapping
• Mucous membranes in nose & throat dry out,

increasing discomfort
• Body moisture evaporate quickly - makes us

feel chilled even at higher thermostat settings
HOW TO CONTROL HUMIDITY
• Passive ventilation by opening windows for cross
ventilation
• Removing moisture at source, for example, using an

extract fan in the bathroom, using a range hood in the
kitchen, venting a dryer to the outside and using only
externally vented gas heaters
• Prevent moisture from the space under a
floor getting into the building and increasing
the levels of internal moisture:
• Ensure there is good ventilation under

suspended timber floors – clear
openings of 3500 mm2 per square meter
of floor area must be provided
• Cover the ground with a vapor barrier such as
polyethylene sheet where there is high
ground water content under the building or
where sufficient under floor ventilation
cannot be provided. (Even with a vapor
barrier, minimum subfloor ventilation
openings of 700 mm2 per square meter of
floor area must still be provided.)
• By using humidifier to increases humidity (moisture) in a single room or in the

entire house.
CONDENSATION
• Occurs when warm, moisture-laden air
comes into contact with a colder surface.
• The air temperature in contact with the

colder surface suddenly drops, reducing
the amount of moisture it can hold.
• This results in moisture formation, or

condensation, occurring on the cold
surface.
CONDENSATION
• When air cools, its ability to hold water vapor decreases. Eventually, it reaches a
temperature at which it can no longer hold the water vapor.
• This is referred to as the dew point.
• When the air reaches dew point the water vapor begins to condensate, forming
as tiny droplets of water on the cooler surface
TYPES OF CONDENSATION
Visible/Surface Condensation
• Condensation occurring on visible surfaces within

the building.
• It results in deterioration of surface finish, mould

growth, etc.
• Created by domestic activities such as bathing,

showering, laundry, dishwashing, cooking and
certain types of heating.
Concealed/Interstitial Condensation
• Condensation occurring within or

between the layers of the building
envelope.
• Occurs when warm, moisture-rich air

diffuses into vapor-permeable structures
and materials such as porous brick walls
and insulation materials.
Concealed/Interstitial Condensation
• Causes deterioration of materials causing rot and decay.
• Suspended flooring, such as wooden floor boards can also suffer from this, and
water will collect on the underside of the boards and gradually rot them.
Transient condensation
• Condensation occurring if the moisture content/vapor pressure of air increases

more rapidly than the temperature of surfaces and materials.
• Examples :
(a) A door of an air-conditioned space is opened unintentionally for several
minutes; the incoming moist air causes condensation on most room surfaces.
(b) In a cold massive building, a sudden influx of warm moist air causes
condensation because vapor diffuses faster than the increase of temperature in
the massive wall.
CONTROLLING CONDENSATION
Primary Measure - Improve Ventilation
•Opening a few windows, careful positioning of additional air vents, & using
extractor fans
• This will sweep away the internal moisture-laden air and replace it with drier air
from the outside.
• Negative ventilation in problem areas will have the reverse affect of creating
condensation by a reduction in the room temperature.
• Positive pressure system -Consists of a slow speed fan set into the loft
- Draws air into the roof space from outside through eaves, & gently pushes
it into the property
- Causes slight internal positive pressure, continually pushing out any
moisture-laden air
Primary Measure - Improve Heating
• Coupled with ventilation, heating should be set or applied to give a low-level

background heat.
• Ensure no rapid temperature changes to the environment and will cause a slight
warming of cold surfaces thus reducing the risk of condensation.
Secondary Measure –
Remove excess water sources
• Removing systems within the house that generate excess water vapor.
• E.g. bottled gas and paraffin heaters.

• drying of clothes indoors or the venting of a clothes drier into the interior of
the property.
Secondary Measure –
Insulate Cold Surfaces:

• Where solid walls/floors be insulated by
various dry-lining techniques or, in the least
expensive case, the use of thin polystyrene
sheet (Cotina) applied directly to the wall.
• Provide a vapor check on the warm side of
the insulation to prevent problems
occurring behind and within the wall.
Prevent possible Water Penetration:
• Damp walls have poorer thermal properties than dry walls and are therefore
slightly cooler; this increases the walls susceptibility to condensation.
• Treating external surfaces with a silicone water-repellent.
Use of anti-mould paint

Condensation Resistance
Manufacturers use several techniques to increase the condensation

resistance of windows.
•inert gas between glazing
•low-emissivity (low-e) coatings that increase the temperature of the glass
• non-conducting sashes and frames

Shading
• The shading of openings influence the
amount of solar gain effecting the air
temperature and ultimately the humidity
level.
Curtains and Blinds

• Interior window accessories such as
curtains, blinds and valances must not
prevent air from moving around the
surface of the window. Any restriction of
air movement will increase condensation
on the window.
Hot Air Registers and Heaters
• Windows that have heat sources located below them are

less susceptible to condensation than other windows.
• When the heating system is in operation, the air

temperature will be higher in the vicinity of the window
than in the centre of the room, resulting in increased
condensation resistance.
• You must take care, however, to keep hot air from the registers or baseboard
heaters from flowing directly onto the interior surface of the glass. Resulting
thermal stress problems could cause the glass to break.
Structural check list
• walls are not suffering from rising damp.
• Ensure that is damp-proof course, that it is not bridged or damaged.
• Consider applying a surface finish to outside walls to prevent rain

penetrating them. - waterproofing finish which can be brushed on or a
paint/textured finish
• Check the roof and the rain gutter. - no damaged/blocked
guttering or drainpipes
• Check solid floors to ensure that damp is not coming up.
• Check that there are no leaking water pipes or tanks

within the house.
Lifestyle check within the building:
• After a bath or shower, try to ventilate the room to the outside, - just opening a
window (and closing the door) will help.
• Dry clothes out of doors or in a cool area of the premises, While drying clothes
indoors, ventilate the room.
• When people come in with wet coats, hang them outside the living area to dry.
• Increase ventilation. Add forced ventilation/extraction to areas which produce a

lot of moisture (kitchen, bathroom).
• Consider changing the fuel you use, electric is the driest, paraffin probably the
wettest.
If condensation persists:
• Papered wall may be made worse if there are many layers of paper, (this can
just acts like blotting paper) so strip off all the layers and re-paper the wall.
• Things can also be improved by lining the wall with thin expanded polystyrene
before you hang new wallpaper.
• Ceilings under the roof should not suffer too much

from condensation providing adequate roof
insulation is fitted
• Ceilings covering with cork or fibre tiles;

alternatively wooden panelling can be installed.
If condensation persists:
• Solid floors (i.e. a slab of concrete) are often cold because of their large thermal
mass (they take a long time to warm up). Even vinyl floor tiles tend to be cold,
however there are a number of 'warm' flooring available such as cork or
cushion tiles. Thin wood flooring can be fitted on most existing solid floors.

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Shelter for different conditions

Building design with respect to high and low humidity &

• Amount of water vapor depends primarily on the temperature of the air.

• As air temperature increases, its capacity to hold moisture also increases so if

• When the relative humidity is high, evaporation of water is slow.

• When relative humidity is high, condensation can occur on surfaces, leading to

Often the principal source of higher humidity in a home

• facilitates the growth of fungi (mould) and bacteria that

• provides the conditions for dust mite populations to grow,

• results in odors in poorly ventilated spaces because

• Causes condensation forming on windows, walls and

• Mucous membranes in nose & throat dry out,

• Body moisture evaporate quickly - makes us

• Removing moisture at source, for example, using an

• Ensure there is good ventilation under

• By using humidifier to increases humidity (moisture) in a single room or in the

• The air temperature in contact with the

• This results in moisture formation, or

• This is referred to as the dew point.

• Condensation occurring on visible surfaces within

• It results in deterioration of surface finish, mould

• Created by domestic activities such as bathing,

• Condensation occurring within or

• Occurs when warm, moisture-rich air

• Causes deterioration of materials causing rot and decay.

• Condensation occurring if the moisture content/vapor pressure of air increases

• Coupled with ventilation, heating should be set or applied to give a low-level

• E.g. bottled gas and paraffin heaters.

Insulate Cold Surfaces:

• Treating external surfaces with a silicone water-repellent.

Use of anti-mould paint

Manufacturers use several techniques to increase the condensation

•inert gas between glazing

•low-emissivity (low-e) coatings that increase the temperature of the glass

• non-conducting sashes and frames

Curtains and Blinds

• Windows that have heat sources located below them are

• When the heating system is in operation, the air

• Consider applying a surface finish to outside walls to prevent rain

• Check solid floors to ensure that damp is not coming up.

• Check that there are no leaking water pipes or tanks

• Increase ventilation. Add forced ventilation/extraction to areas which produce a

• Ceilings under the roof should not suffer too much

• Ceilings covering with cork or fibre tiles;

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