Research to Improve Indoor Climates in Hospitals (2024)

In addition to the effects of high temperatures and even high humidity on the health of patients, infectious disease parameters from the treatment data are also included in the study, such as markers for the occurrence of blood poisoning, information on infections with multi-resistant pathogens, SARS-CoV-2, and influenza viruses. The duration of the patient’s treatment is also recorded.

“We then link this health data statistically with the indoor climate and air quality data collected by special sensors in the hospital rooms, as well as data on model-based energy consumption, to create a new type of sensor network,” says project coordinator Professor Dr. Martin Kriegel, head of the Hermann Rietschel Institute (HRI) at TU Berlin’s Chair of Energy, Comfort and Health in Buildings. In addition to temperature and humidity, which are what determine the indoor climate, the sensors measure the number of particles in the air and the level of carbon dioxide. “The CO₂ concentration does not have a direct effect on health in normal concentrations, but it is a very good benchmark for measuring the efficiency of a room’s ventilation,” explains Professor Kriegel. If a room has good ventilation, the concentration of pathogens in the air can fall considerably as a result. Alongside the data from the sensor network, the researchers intend to incorporate information on nitrogen oxide concentrations and particulate matter pollution where the hospital buildings are located. “We will also factor in the generation of particulate matter in the hospital itself and the outgassing of volatile organic compounds, for example from building materials,” says Professor Kriegel.

“The impact building structures have on patients' health is often underestimated,” says Professor Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Sunder, Head of Health Care Building at the Institute of Construction Design, Industrial and Health Care Building at TU Braunschweig. Even the location of a building is of relevance, for example when considering the risk of heat stress. If a room has large south-facing windows, it will feel the effects of the sun’s rays. Previous studies at Charité have shown that the climate in patients’ rooms plays a role in their recovery, namely that the recovery time for certain lung diseases was reduced from three to two days when patients were in air-conditioned rooms.

But what impact does it have on health when patients are two to a room and not three? Does the way rooms are accessed by visitors, how materials are stored, and where meeting and lunch rooms are located have any significance? “Various concepts have been developed to protect high-risk patients, particularly those in intensive care units and on hematology and oncology wards,” explains Professor Sunder. Despite this, many connections, such as the correlation between the building structures and their often complex ventilation systems, are still unclear. Charité has a large and very diverse building stock, which is ideal for the researchers to gain a variety of insights.

The project “EnOB: EnHance – Energy-efficient hospital rooms: Creating a healthy indoor climate and hygienic indoor air quality with minimal energy consumption“ is registered under funding code 03EN1086A. It is being funded from December 2023 to November 2026 as part of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research’s 7th Energy Research Program. Other partners are Charité Facility Management (CFM) and Siemens AG.