To describe the results briefly, means and standard deviations were calculated using SPSS software package (version 16). The results are included in Table 5.16.
Table 5.16: Means and standard deviations for the surveys' questions
Question Rating Mean Std
Kuwait government applies Mandatory tough laws concerning the implementation of IAQ in both design and construction housing “how do you rate the government enforcement of laws?
Very
low 1.69 1.09
Government monitory agencies exist, follow up and monitors the implementation of IAQ in its housing projects “how do you rate their follow up during construction and delivery of projects?
Low 2.23 1.01
Private sector in Kuwait follows and implements IAQ rules in their buildings and housing projects “how do you rate their performance in following and implanting IAQ rules?
Low 2.29 0.91
Decision makers in Kuwait have a great understanding in implementing IAQ rules in all of their housing projects (how would you categorize it?)
Very
Implementing IAQ rules in both design and construction phases is a common practice for anyone building a house or a project. (How would you categorize the understanding of IAQ for anyone attempting to build a house or project?) .
Low 2.03 0.68
Engineers have a very good and clear Understanding of IAQ standard rules and regulations in both design and construction housing projects " how do you categorize their understanding ?"
Very
low 1.43 0.75
Firm laws exist in Kuwait to ban those who do not follow IAQ rules in design and construction phases (how would you categorize government enforcement of ventilation system and IAQ strategy?)
Very
low 1.53 1.03
The government plays an informative role in educating the public of the Health and environmental hazardous of not following and implanting IAQ rules "what's your rating for role of the government in Kuwait concerning the IAQ "
Very
low 1.41 0.82
Label scheme rules regulating construction materials manufacturing industry products exist ( categorize how accurate is label scheme used to ensure IAQ rules are being applied for a good indoor air quality )
Very
low 1.77 1.21
The government plays a very important role in monitoring and enforcing IAQ rules during the construction phase and after delivery of projects to ensure a good quality of indoor air exists (categorize government monitoring and enforcement of ventilation system and IAQ rules during and after construction?)
Very
low 1.60 0.97
Table 5.16 indicates the values of means and standard deviation for each question in the survey. Checking the mean values it seems that all the values were in the low and very low responds. The greatest mean was observed in question no. 3 which states "Private sector in Kuwait follows and implements IAQ rules in their buildings and housing projects “how do you rate their performance in following and implementing IAQ rules? " (2.29) followed by the mean of question 2 which state "Government monitory agencies exist, follow up and monitors the implementation of IAQ in its housing projects “how do you rate their follow up during construction and delivery of projects?" (2.23)
The least mean was observed in question no.8 which states that " The media plays an informative role in educating the public of the Health and environmental hazardous of not following and implanting IAQ rules "what's your rating for role of media in Kuwait concerning the IAQ " (1.41) and that the semi last mean which was observed in question no. 6 which states that "Engineers have a very good and clear Understanding of IAQ standard
rules and regulations in both design and construction housing projects " how do you categorize their understanding ?" (1.43).
The following figure shows the mean values representation for each question
Figure 5.20: Mean values representation for each question in the survey
5.11
Summary
The findings revealed no documents written for Kuwait, that encompasses codes, standards, regulations and guidance for the implementation of good IAQ in Kuwait housing developments, or a framework for government enforcement of such. It was also revealed that there was a significant lack of awareness of indoor air pollutants and/or good IAQ both amongst occupants and construction professionals. The status quo in the housing development process did not enable integration amongst the project team and stakeholders at the design stage, hence team member’s valuable input on achieving good IAQ at design stage is lost. Furthermore, the process did not emphasize the following at every stage of the project to ensure good IAQ: commissioning of the ventilation design and installation, which includes value engineering, proper sequencing and scheduling of activities to avoid dust or debris from contaminating the ventilation system, proper documentation and reporting to ensure the owner’s project objectives are documented, achieved, checked, and carried over to the next stage. 1.69 2.23 2.29 1.75 2.03 1.43 1.53 1.41 1.77 1.6 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The most common method of achieving good IAQ according to respondents is either through a dedicated department within the firm, or by hiring an external HVAC specialist/consultants. Usually, it involves both groups working together to achieve the set goal. According to one respondent, “they (Building services department) design to proven criteria and work with reliable specialist HVAC contractors”. First, the criteria for good IAQ is set and strictly adhered to during the design stage; second, good contractors and suppliers knowledgeable in IAQ procedure and with strong quality control policies are selected for the construction of the project, lastly, a good operation and maintenance manual is prepared. This manual is to be complied with for the lifetime of the project.
The respondents state that these designs focus on: building orientation in accordance with the sun, proper natural ventilation including landscaped spaces wherever possible, reducing heat conduction through isolated blocks, using appropriate glass layers and proper thermal insulation wherever applicable, and so on. In addition to natural ventilation, respondents strongly advocate use of HVAC or other state of the art ventilation mechanism. One respondent recollects:
“As an architect I make sure that there is a strong natural ventilation strategy. In my last project we even introduce a traditional wind catcher in the rooms of the eco resort we designed to allow users to benefit from the sea breeze whilst maintaining privacy and keeping windows shut.”
Furthermore, part of value engineering process for achieving good IAQ before and during construction, is to ensure that high toxic emitting materials are not included. That means, materials to be used must be certified as zero or low-emitting products. After construction, occupants must be advised to: avoid smoking indoor, or usage of harsh cleaners, and control appliances with exhaust if any; and to maintain AC ducts at intervals (using set guidelines in the manual). ASHRAE (2009) guide hasa wealth of practical information on how to design and construct buildings with better IAQ without large financial investments or untested technologies.
The findings show that the barriers to achieving good IAQ in Kuwait housing developments are; cost and budget, government enthusiasm, lack of awareness, lack of enforceable codes and standards, lack of design integration, distrust of the competence level of local IAQ companies, habit and age, low level of IAQ education, and lack of training. Similarly, respondents report that the drivers of good IAQ in Kuwait housing are; the client/end-user,
the government, architects, designers, IAQ consultants, construction professional societies, contractors and manufacturers. All the findings here will inform the development of the framework in the next chapter.
6.1
Introduction
According to ASHRAE (2009); “Indoor air quality (IAQ) is one of many issues that building
owners and developers must address to provide buildings that meet their needs and the needs of the building occupants.” Habitable buildings have good IAQ. But what ensures that good IAQ is achieved is compliance with industry standards and regulations on ventilation. When builders and professionals ignore these standards, health issues related to sick building syndrome arise and result in significant health, loss of employee productivity, increased absenteeism in schools, as well as economic impact.
Another major issue that is of equal concern when good IAQ is neglected is the costs that are accrued by business owners because of lost work time; by occupants in hospital treatment of sick building syndromes and other IAQ related illnesses; by owners because of lost of use of building, expensive building or mechanical system repairs, legal costs, and bad publicity. The cost saving that can be made if IAQ is given more attention is clearly immense. Therefore, an important objective of this research study is to make sure that construction professionals, building owners and developers work with a framework in which IAQ objectives are put on the table at the very beginning of the development and design processes (ASHRAE, 2009). As such, it would be very hard for the architect and other project participants to ignore or forget IAQ requirement during construction and commissioning. ASHRAE (2009) emphasize this because the organisation recognises that “by the time a building’s schematic design is complete, many opportunities to achieve good IAQ have been foreclosed, which can easily result in unintended consequences or expensive and inadequate “force fitting” of solutions. When IAQ, energy efficiency, and other project objectives are considered together at the initial design phases, design elements for each objective can be mutually reinforcing rather than at odds with one another.”
Based on the research findings, Kuwait construction professionals and building owners acknowledge and appreciate the importance of good IAQ but are yet to implement or include specific IAQ objectives in the design and construction decision making process. The lack of this inclusion may lead to the rise of IAQ problems in buildings. To be fair, residential builders, developers, design professionals, and others employ basic measures to ensure good IAQ in buildings. For example, the use of openings to increase natural ventilation and/or choosing low pollutant emitting materials for construction help improve IAQ in buildings.
The absence of standards and regulations for achieving good IAQ in Kuwait housing developments make it difficult for compliance agencies to enforce IAQ regulations. However, there are many standards in existence that can be adopted, tailored and applied to Kuwait context such as “ASHRAE Standard 62.1, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality.” These standards are well researched and documented.
However, the one question most construction professionals in Kuwait want to know is; even if IAQ standards and regulations exist, how is it to be enforced? This question is why this research is necessary. The research seeks to develop a framework, on which good IAQ can be achieved in housing developments, if followed diligently by the professionals and institutions involved. The framework is developed for use by building owners (both existing and prospective owners), developers, architects, design engineers, consultants (e.g. Quantity surveyors who do value engineering, and mechanical and electrical engineers), construction contractors, commissioning authorities, Kuwait municipality, responsible for planning permissions, facilities managers, and even manufacturers of construction materials. This framework will go a long way to see that future developments are designed and constructed with IAQ objectives in mind to bring about habitable and sustainable environments for the future people of Kuwait.
After the researcher went out into the field and conducted interviews and then consequently, surveys with professionals involved in housing development in the Kuwait construction industry, a new framework emerged. This framework covers the three phases of a construction project; design, construction, and post-construction (occupancy). The framework is structured around RIBA Plan of Works 2013 (based on a traditional method of procurement) and greatly influenced by ASHRAE (2009). According to ASHRAE (2009),
“the single most important step an owner or design team leader can take to reliably deliver good IAQ is to use effective project processes. Lacking these, even the most sophisticated suite of IAQ technologies may not deliver the desired results.”
Effective project processes are expected to streamline design, construction and post- construction activities so that the best possible IAQ environment can be achieved. The current and most reliable processes to enhance IAQ management deemed by this research is a fusion between the RIBA stages (strategic definition, preparation of brief, concept design, developed design, technical design, construction, and handover) and ASHRAE project processes; using an integrated design approach and solutions, commissioning to ensure that
the owner’s IAQ requirements are met, and selecting HVAC systems to improve IAQ and reduce the energy impacts of ventilation (ASHRAE, 2009). In this framework the developed design and the technical design is combined and called ‘detailed design’ because in most Kuwaiti professionals’ understanding technical design is detailed design and not a separate stage. In fact, the technical design (mechanical, electrical and specialist’s drawings) are done simultaneous to the architectural, and structural design development.
This was necessary because (a) the predominant method of procurement in Kuwait is the traditional method of procurement and the construction industry as a whole (Architects, designers, engineers, specialists, etc.) is trained based on the RIBA Plan of Works. Of course the RIBA plan of works is modified from time to time, but the changes are not significant and the idea of each stage remains the same. In this framework, the process for good IAQ achievement is shown through these stages as seen in Figure 6.1.