New Research Facility in Texas

A new research facility is opening that will shed light on how buildings perform in hot and humid climates--and it will be aptly located in Austin, Texas. The Texas Institute for the Indoor Environment (TIIE), which is a product of the combined efforts of four Texas universities, will include twin 1,200 ft² test homes and a teaching/research center. The twin test homes will enable researchers to model duct leakage, evaluate combustion safety issues, identify source control procedures for chemical pollutants, and generally scrutinize a wide range of variables that affect energy and indoor air quality (IAQ). With more than 3,000 hours each year when the dew point temperature exceeds 70°F, Austin is a prime location for a facility investigating the problems that a hot and humid climate can create.

In addition to conducting new research, TIIE will disseminate to practitioners and to the public practical information related to the indoor environment. It will also provide seed funding for relevant research activities. To achieve these goals, TIIE plans to publish a newsletter for subscribers, establish an institute Web site, develop educational software, and provide free seminars and workshops that will be open to the public.

For its first venture into hosting free public seminars, TIEE chose to focus on IAQ. TIEE had 110 attendees at the first lecture in the IAQ series (Indoor Air Quality: Reflection and Recognition), and 170 at the second (Indoor Air Quality in Homes); and more than 250 have preregistered for the next two seminars (Indoor Air Quality in Schools and The Health Effects of Poor Indoor Air Quality). The general public is clearly eager for the freshest IAQ news.

--Doug Garrett

Doug Garrett is the owner of Building Performance & Comfort in Leander, Texas.

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