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    The assessment of indoor environment quality in New Zealand early childhood education centres : a thesis presented in full fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Building Science at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Flood, Tiffany
    The review of literature highlighted a knowledge research gap in the understanding of New Zealand early childhood education indoor environment quality, particularly in Auckland. The objective of this thesis was to, therefore, begin to fill this gap. This was achieved by predominantly monitoring the indoor environment quality in four early learning education centres for one year. The results showed a lack of indoor environment quality standards in early childhood education. Mean carbon dioxide levels in 75% of the sleep rooms monitored exceeded ASHRAE and Ministry of Education school guidelines; the mechanical ventilation in one of the centres did not meet the New Zealand mechanical ventilation standard and the thermal comfort range was exceed 14% of the time during operating hours. The maximum relative humidity guideline set by ASHRAE and recommended in New Zealand schools, was exceeded 29% of the time during operating hours and 66% of the time outside operating hours, therefore possibly supporting mould and bacterial growth. Building audits identified poor cleaning routines in most rooms. Only 22% of the classrooms met the New Zealand building code G7 for Natural light and 55% had poor views to outside, as also required under G7. None of the classrooms achieved a daylight factor greater than 2% as set out in the Ministry of Education school guidelines and 33% of the classrooms interior lighting met New Zealand interior and workplace lighting standards. Those classrooms with mostly hard floors and ceilings have potential reverberation issues. This study highlighted that further research is needed to investigate the ventilation requirements in sleep rooms and the natural light, views to outside and interior lighting requirements within early childhood classrooms. The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health should provide guidance and advice before a centre is built. The inclusion of an indoor environment quality assessment should be considered as part of a centre’s Education Review Office assessment and that the importance of indoor environment quality should be part of the curriculum when training early learning teachers. This study may be applicable to the New Zealand early childhood education industry and researchers of indoor environment quality.
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    Contributions to contamination dynamics, assessment and remediation of the environment : application for the degree of Doctor of Science DSc from Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2015) Naidu, Ravendra
    Environmental contamination is a massive problem for Australia and, indeed, globally. It has serious impacts on: • human health; • the health and sustainability of our natural environment; and • the economy. Historical environmental contamination will be a toxic legacy for Australians for decades to come. There are over 160,000 potentially contaminated sites in Australia. Remediation is currently costing companies and owners of contaminated sites in excess of $3 billion per annum, with the number of sites remediated being less than 5%. Cases of poisoning by substances such as arsenic, lead, asbestos, pesticides etc. are in the news almost daily, while large areas of valuable land (for example in China) cannot be used because of past contamination. Surface and subsurface soil and its groundwater environment is a complex and heterogeneous system. Once contaminants have come into contact with these systems, assessment and remediation is difficult and extremely challenging. Australia has not yet developed the affordable solutions, the preventative technologies and advanced regulatory frameworks to address this huge problem and curb its spread. Professor Naidu, a PhD graduate of Massey University, recognised environmental contamination as a major challenge confronting the community, owners of contaminated sites and regulatory bodies as early as the 1990s - before Australia even had its National Environment Protection Measure in, place. Recognising the gap in knowledge on contaminants, he commenced a research and technology development program providing initial leadership in Australia and later internationally by heading Commission 3.5 (2002 to 2010) which focused on Soil Degradation and Reclamation. He also raised in excess of $500 million to establish a Co-operative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE) - the only National Centre of Excellence that focuses on contamination and remediation. The research undertaken within this Centre is prioritised through extensive consultation and participation by end-users. Since commencing research on contaminants, Professor Naidu has enhanced our understanding of risks posed by contaminants in the environment, their fate and behaviour in soil and groundwater, and techniques for assessing and remediating contaminated sites. These areas are grouped, in this thesis, into five overlapping areas of research: • Measurement; • Fate and dynamics; • Bioavailability; • Food Chain and • Remediation. The key elements of these five themes, and their contribution to knowledge, form Chapters 2-6 of the thesis. Professor Naidu's awards and honours are summarised in his curriculum vitae.
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    Building related illness : a procedure to detect symptomatic buildings : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in the Department of Agricultural Engineering at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1994) Sisk, William Edward
    This study examines the topic of building related or building supported illness in the context of a commercial office setting. Numerous reports from the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Holland, Denmark, Canada and the United States of America, indicate that workers in some office buildings suffer a degree of discomfort and physical symptoms related to building occupancy. The problem is examined in the context of a commercial office environment and the term 'Building Related Illness' (BRI) and it's sub-set 'the Sick Building Syndrome' (SBS) are defined. The illnesses or specific syndromes known to be associated with building related illness are identified. There is ongoing debate as to the valid inclusion of some viral diseases. This study takes a symptomatic approach to the identification of the various syndromes of interest. The numerous elements or stressors known to cause particular symptoms are identified and discussed. BRI is identified by an unusual or extraordinary frequency of certain physical symptoms being experienced by the occupancy of a particular building. However, the symptoms of interest are found in the general community at an unknown incidence rate. The exact role a building and it's association with a symptom or cluster of symptoms is, more often than not, difficult to ascertain. There are a number of confounding elements which need to be considered and eliminated before the building itself can be implicated as a causal factor. This is because the general nature of the symptoms associated with BRI can be caused by other factors. Broadly, the other causative factors may be 'Job Related' or 'Ergonomically Related' (eg. poorly designed work stations). It is well documented that workers in menial or less interesting employment report a higher prevalence of BRI type symptoms. The role of chronic diseases in relation to commercial buildings are discussed and the alternative paradigm to dealing with these stressors is examined. Finally, a statistical method for identifying a 'problem building' is piloted on two dissimilar buildings and the results are analyzed. The prevalence of symptom reporting amongst certain cohorts is similar to a number of overseas studies. It was concluded that the proposed model was successful in identifying symptom clusters amongst certain cohorts within the buildings surveyed. In this respect the piloted questionnaire was successful. The questionnaire is critically reviewed and a number of amendments are suggested.
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    Development of a decision support system for the design of good indoor air quality in office buildings : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Product Development at Massey University, Turitea, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2001) Phipps, Robyn A.
    Office buildings are complex entities. Design decisions can affect the quality of the indoor air (IAQ) throughout the life of the building. Poor IAQ affects approximately 30% of all office buildings and is ranked within the five greatest risks to human health in developed countries. Despite a vast and growing body of scientific literature on IAQ, there is a large gap between the current knowledge and the application of this knowledge in building practices. The USA Environmental Protection Agency identified a high priority need for design and educational tools to assist building designers who are not experts in IAQ issues to create healthy buildings. In this study a Decision Support System (DSS) for the design of good IAQ in office buildings was developed. The DSS leads building designers through a structured question database on building attributes that affect IAQ. Full justification for each design decision is given in order to prompt designers to select building features that lead to low indoor concentrations of volatile organic compounds, gaseous pollutants, microbiological contaminants and respirable particulates. The DSS was developed for new office buildings in New Zealand conditions, with either natural or mechanical ventilation. An exisiting methodology for the development of DSS was used. The problem was approached from the perspective of the building users under the broad headings of site and external factors, building envelope, building infrastructure, interiors, and heating ventilating and air-conditioning. Each of these topics was subdivided into finer layers of detail until conclusions on the potential impact of each building element on the IAQ could be inferred. The hierarchy for decision-making placed highest priority on the elimination or reduction of pollutants at source. Opportunities for pollutants to enter from outside or spread within the building were also controlled. If either of these strategies were not found acceptable, then mitigation techniques were recommended. A panel of independent national and international experts validated the DSS for correctness and completeness. The reviewers reported that the system was very comprehensive, drew correct conclusions and would assist building designers without IAQ expertise, to design office buildings with good IAQ. The DSS was also considered to have a significant educational component for users.