Ongoing Project 1: The Global Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Database
The rapid growth of smart building technologies is revolutionizing how we monitor and improve indoor air quality (IAQ). To support this transformation, we are building the first open-source Global IAQ Database—a curated, standardized repository of IAQ data from decades of field measurements around the world.
This initiative is led by the Human-Oriented Built Environment Lab at EPFL and supported by Swissuniversities – Programme Open Science, as part of the ISIAQ Innovation Network. The database is being developed in collaboration with Charlotte Weil and Yannick Marcon from ENAC-IT4R, EPFL, who lead the technical implementation. Project partners include colleagues from the Technical University of Denmark, the University of Oulu, the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), the University of Sydney, the University of Colorado, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Our shared goal is to make high-quality, harmonized indoor air quality (IAQ) data openly available to researchers, policymakers, and practitioners worldwide.
We invite contributors to share datasets from past and ongoing field campaigns. In return, contributors gain visibility and contribute to a global effort shaping future IAQ standards, health guidelines, and building policies.
Our approach:
- Transforms existing IAQ datasets into a unified, high-value global resource
- Connects air quality data with building, occupant, climate, and contextual variables
- Ensures robust quality control and harmonization across diverse data sources
- Provides user-friendly tools for data exploration, access, and download
Join us in this global effort to unlock the full potential of IAQ data for healthier, more sustainable indoor environments!
Research Hosts:
Dr. Chenxi Liao: [email protected];
Dr. Bowen Du: [email protected];
Prof. Dusan Licina: [email protected]
For more information: https://iaqdb.epfl.ch/
Ongoing Project 2: Exploring Indoor Sources, Dynamics, and Toxicity of Ultrafine Particles
Ultrafine particles (UFPs), with diameters of 100 nm or less, are the most prominent indoor particle mode in terms of number concentration. Despite their prevalence in indoor environments where most human inhalation exposure occurs, critical gaps persist in our understanding of indoor UFP. This project aims to fill existing knowledge gaps by systematically investigating the composition, dynamics, and toxicity of UFP generated by common indoor sources.
This initiative is led by the Human-Oriented Built Environment Lab at EPFL and supported by the Swiss National Science Fund. Project partners include colleagues from the Adolphe Merckle Institute, Paul Scherrer Institute, and Max Planck Institute for Chemistry. The primary objective of this project is to improve our understanding of UFP composition, indoor behavior of UFPs, and how UFPs from various indoor sources interact with human lung tissues.
Our approach:
- Identify differences in the composition of UFP produced by common indoor sources
- Observe the impact of building conditions on UFP formation, evolution, and fate
- Assess cellular response to realistic indoor UFP exposure
Tools:
- A state-of the-science environmental chamber with precise operational controls
- High resolution mass spectrometry techniques (PTR-ToF-MS, EESI-ToF-MS)
- Online particle characterization instrumentation (SMPS, nCNC)
- An advanced in vitro 3D lung tissue model
Join our multidisciplinary efforts to better understand indoor ultrafine particles to inform the design and optimization of healthier indoor environments!
Research Hosts:
Dr. Kristen Yeh; [email protected];
Prof. Dusan Licina: [email protected]
Ongoing Project 3: Comparing Ventilation Strategies Using Integrated Indoor Air Quality and Life Cycle Assessment
Ventilation is a key determinant of indoor air quality (IAQ) and occupant health, but it also represents a significant source of environmental impact through energy use and embodied emissions. While ventilation strategies are often evaluated either from a health or an energy perspective, these dimensions are rarely assessed together in a consistent framework.
This PhD project aims to investigate and quantify the trade-offs between indoor air quality, human health, and life cycle environmental impacts associated with different building ventilation strategies. The research focuses on real case-study buildings and combines field monitoring with numerical modelling to better understand how ventilation design and operation influence both short-term health outcomes and long-term environmental performance.
The project is led by the Human-Oriented Built Environment Lab (HOBEL) at EPFL and is embedded within the European Horizon project INBLANC, which brings together academic and industry partners working on data-driven approaches for sustainable building management.
Our approach:
- Monitor indoor environmental quality (IAQ, occupancy, ventilation operation) in real buildings
- Model ventilation strategies using multi-zone airflow, energy simulation, and life cycle assessment tools
- Quantify health-related impacts of IAQ and environmental impacts using a harmonized assessment framework
- Explore ventilation design and operational choices as a design space rather than a single “optimal” solution
Tools:
- Indoor air quality monitoring instrumentation (gases, particles, thermal conditions)
- Multi-zone airflow modelling (CONTAM)
- Building energy simulation (EnergyPlus / DesignBuilder)
- Life cycle assessment with open-source tools (Activity Browser, Brightway)
- Python-based workflows for data processing, analysis, and integration
The project seeks to support more informed ventilation design and decision-making by bridging theory and practice and by providing insights relevant to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers interested in healthier and more sustainable buildings.
Research Hosts:
PhD candidate, Maria Loizou; [email protected];
Prof. Dusan Licina: [email protected]