Keeping an eye on the temperature

Matthias Blanck makes sure that office workers keep their cool. The 28-year old works in structural physics as part of the Building Technology Center’s construction team. He travels to various building sites, checks the acoustics and noise protection of buildings, inspects the interior climate and measures temperatures and humidity. "I always carry my measuring instruments with me" says Blanck. And that’s how he got the idea for the Junior Management Prize.

"It’s a problem we’re all familiar with. At temperatures over 26°C, with high humidity and a source of noise nearby, it’s difficult to concentrate, let alone work effectively" says Blanck. This is why many building and concession project clients now require guarantees for specific room temperatures, especially in summer. In Germany, room temperature should not exceed 26°C unless the outside temperature rises above 32°C. In these circumstances, the room temperature must be at least 6°C below the outside temperature. "If these values are not complied with, it can lead to disputes, for example when users demand rectifications at the expense of the landlord", explains Blanck.

Some building projects have used thermal simulations in order to determine contractual obligations based on calculated values. "The results of the simulations depend, however, to a large extent on the climate data sets used and these can be very different", says Blanck. For the Junior Management Prize, he explored the possibilities and limits of such simulations. "To do this I used the values of an average summer and the climate data from the summer of the century in 2003.”

His conclusion: colleagues need to keep a cool head when formulating contracts, especially when high temperatures are at issue. Instead of using standard values, in future, appropriate simulations and data sets will be selected together with the client. The building project as a whole also has a role to play. "If I want to be ready for a hot summer, that may mean that I have to take the extreme requirements into account when planning things like building geometry, facades and technical equipment.” This can lead to reduced energy consumption without sacrificing a comfortable room climate.

In building construction, room temperature is not only of interest from a legal perspective. It is also an essential component when considering building comfort. To the layman, the word comfort may conjure up images of a cozy sofa, but the structural physicist is concerned only with efficiency. When an office building is designed, the needs of future owners or tenants should be in mind – and the ability to work in pleasant conditions is vital. For this reason, the whole package is looked at. "We check the acoustics in the room to see how well the occupants are protected from sounds and any background noise and try to consider all other aspects as well", explains Blanck. The next day he sets out again to collect more information - this time to the lab in Hildesheim to check the sound insulation of plasterboard walls.