Indoor Air Quality of Historic Buildings: A Comparison of Certified to Non-certified Buildings

Abstract

Since, there is a high level of concern for historic buildings becoming sustainable this paper will investigate the indoor air quality of three historical buildings that are on the National Registry of Historic Buildings and located around Fulton County, Georgia, USA and three historical buildings that are not certified in the same area. The certification for the three certified buildings was obtained thru Earth Craft Sustainable Preservation program, which is the only historic building certification in the United States. The research entails field measurements of CO₂ levels, air borne particles (both types and sizes), and greenhouse gas emissions. This was done by counting the airborne particles with sizes between 0.3 to 5.0 nanometers, and identifying biological and non-biological airborne particles both indoors and outdoors. These tests were used to determine if the interior of the certified buildings have better CO₂ levels than the exterior and to ascertain how much the certification process effects the indoor air quality. This information will be compared to the noncertified buildings to ascertain if the results of the testing will show that the indoor air quality and greenhouse gases are better than the noncertified buildings. This research will demonstrate the need for improved indoor air quality testing in historic buildings before certifying them as being sustainable in the area of indoor air quality.