Indoor Air Quality and Ventilation Fundamentals
This course provides a practical introduction to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and ventilation concepts as applied in HVAC system design and operation. The content is based on commonly used international standards and real project experience, with a focus on understanding the logic behind ventilation requirements rather than memorizing equations or procedures.
Special emphasis is placed on concepts frequently misunderstood in practice, such as ventilation rate calculations, IAQ-based design approaches, and the use of mass balance principles.
Course Objective
The objective of this course is to help engineers and practitioners understand how indoor air quality requirements are defined, calculated, and applied in multi-zone buildings.
By the end of the course, learners should be able to interpret ventilation requirements more critically and recognize common sources of oversizing and misapplication.
Course Structure and Lessons
The course is divided into short, focused lessons. Each lesson builds on the previous one and addresses a specific concept commonly encountered in ventilation and IAQ design.
- Introduction to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Concepts
- Common Indoor Air Contaminants and Sources
- Ventilation Rate Procedure – Concept and Application
- Outdoor Air Requirements for Single-Zone Systems
- Ventilation Rate Procedure for Multiple-Zone Systems
- Understanding System Ventilation Efficiency (Ev)
- Indoor Air Quality Procedure (IAQP) – Conceptual Overview
- Mass Balance Concept in IAQ Analysis
- Comparison Between VRP and IAQP Approaches
- Common Ventilation and IAQ Design Mistakes
- Applied Example 1 – Simple VRP Calculation (Single-Zone)
What You Will Learn
- How indoor air quality is defined and evaluated
- The difference between ventilation-based and IAQ-based design
- Why ventilation calculations often lead to oversizing
- How mass balance is used to understand contaminant concentration
- Where common misunderstandings occur in real HVAC projects
Who This Course Is For
This course is intended for professionals and students who are involved in HVAC design, review, operation, or commissioning and want a clearer understanding of ventilation and IAQ fundamentals.
- HVAC and mechanical engineers
- Design reviewers and consultants
- Site engineers and commissioning engineers
- Engineering students with basic HVAC knowledge
Learning Approach
The course follows a concept-driven approach. Equations and formulas are introduced only when necessary to support understanding, not as standalone calculation exercises.
Examples are discussed qualitatively, focusing on why certain assumptions lead to higher airflow rates and how alternative approaches may reduce unnecessary system oversizing.
Important Note
This course is provided for educational purposes only. It does not constitute engineering consultancy, design services, or project-specific recommendations.
The content is intended to support technical understanding and reflection, not to replace professional judgment or formal engineering responsibility.
Lessons will be added progressively and refined as the course develops.