Indoors ventilation in times of confinement by SARS-CoV-2 epidemic: A comparative approach between Spain and Italy.

With the arrival of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the scientific academia, as well as policymakers, are striving to conceive solutions as an attempt to contain the spreading of contagion. Among the adopted measures, severe lockdown restrictions were issued to avoid the diffusion of the virus in an uncontrolled way through public spaces. It can be deduced from recent literature that the primary route of transmission is via aerosols, produced mainly in poorly ventilated interior areas where infected people spend a lot of time with other people. Concerning contagion rates, accumulated incidence or number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19, Spain, and Italy have reached very high levels. In this framework, a regression analysis to assess the feasibility of the indoor ventilation measures established in Spain and Italy, with respect to the European framework, is here presented. To this aim, ten cases of housing typology were and analyzed. The results show that the measures established in the applicable regulations to prevent and control the risk of contagion by aerosols are not adequate to guarantee a healthy environment indoors. The current Italian guidelines are more restrictive than in Spain, yet the ventilation levels are still insufficient in times of pandemic.

Experimental Analysis of Passive Strategies in Houses with Glass Façades for the Use of Natural Light

The main objective of this research was to analyze the passive solutions that help to reduce energy consumption through the use of natural light in buildings. In this case, the analysis focused on the use of natural light in buildings with all façades made of glass. Buildings designed with the criterion of regenerative sustainability, such as glass buildings, consider not only energy efficiency and the use of renewable and/or alternative energies, but also the improvement of the health and well-being of users—very important factors during an era in which the time spent at home has been increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic (disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus). This experimental research was based on the analysis of data collected during a full year of monitoring of two scale models of Farnsworth House, a house with glass façades in all of its orientations. The results allowed us to conclude that these passive elements must be taken into account in the initial design of a building;a solar control sheet is also advisable in this type of glass building because it greatly reduces the illuminance inside the spaces, and the use of overhangs distributes the illuminance inside the rooms more evenly. In addition, the use of scale models provides a more accurate view of the parameters related to light energy.