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Architecture Department Fall Lecture Series (PDX)

Tuesday, October 24, 2017 at 5:30pm

White Stag Block, WSB 150
70 NW Couch Street, Portland, OR 97209

Living in a Material World:
How the Surfaces that Surround You Affect What You Breathe

Richard L. Corsi, PhD, P.E.
The University of Texas at Austin

 

From infancy to twilight years, the air that we breathe and surfaces that we touch inside buildings have a substantial impact on our lifetime exposure to air pollution, including pollution of outdoor origin. As such, there is value in understanding the processes that affect the sources and fate of air pollutants indoors, with a goal of manipulating these processes to improve the air that we breathe.

An important feature of indoor atmospheres is the relatively large ratio of surface area to volume of air, particularly in comparison to the same ratio for the outdoor atmosphere. From building materials to architectural coatings, flooring to furniture, and HVAC system components to human occupants, indoor surfaces vary considerably from one another and within and between buildings. These surfaces are sources of air pollutants and reservoirs (sinks) onto and into which pollutants deposit and persist. They contain reaction sites that permanently remove pollutants while forming others. Importantly, indoor materials and their surfaces are dynamic, with changes that occur over time scales of minutes to decades and that can dramatically influence surface interactions with pollutants in indoor air.

This presentation will begin with a discussion of the importance of indoor air quality, including the broader impacts associated with its improvement. The importance of indoor materials and their impacts on indoor air quality will be explored using examples from past and ongoing research that reflect different interfacial phenomena and influencing factors. The potential for smart use of materials for improvement of indoor air quality will also be discussed as a rich topic for future research.

There are materials around you that are affecting the amount and nature of pollutants that you are inhaling as you read this abstract. Get to know them.

 

For more information, contact archinfo@uoregon.edu.

 

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