Why indoor climate matters now more than ever?
Why indoor climate matters now more than ever?
Urbanisation, digitalisation, technological and economic development and other trends have shaped our lifestyle to become more and more focused on spending time indoors. In fact, we are indoors 90 % of our time. Converted to days in one year, that would mean 329 days totally indoors and just 36 days elsewhere.
Therefore, indoor climate has huge impact on our health and wellbeing today. Adequate daylight and pleasant views outdoors, clean and particle-free air, comfortable temperature and humidity levels together with moderate carbon dioxide levels contribute directly to our everyday activities and happiness, whether we are ourselves aware of it or not.
When designing a framework for indoor climate, we first want to use simple and passive design means for creating a solid conceptual basis for good indoor conditions, which then can be finetuned by other applications as required. This way, pleasant indoor climate and control of it is efficient both in terms of energy consumption and operational costs.
Airtight and well insulated building envelope is a precondition for stable and controlled indoor conditions. Correct orientation and sizing of the openings allow pleasant views and daylight to be enjoyed, while high peaks in solar radiation will be avoided by cleaver massing and shading solutions. Use of natural materials provide pleasant and toxic-free interior, while simple and clear spatial arrangement makes it easy to keep clean of dirt and dust.
Among the natural materials, we like to work with solid wood in particular, due to its multiple benefits for indoor climate. As a hygroscopic material, it can moderate the temperature and humidity variations, and due to its good heat capacity, it can store excess heat. Wood has psychologically calming effect on us, and it has proven to have positive effect on our cognitive skills like concentration. Wooden surfaces are inviting to us as they are pleasant and warm to touch.
