Pathways to Improving Indoor Air Quality and Occupant Health in New Homes in the UK

Barre, Mohamed Abdullahi (2026) Pathways to Improving Indoor Air Quality and Occupant Health in New Homes in the UK. Doctoral thesis, Birmingham City University.

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Abstract

Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) in new UK homes has become a growing concern due to its implications for human health and well-being. IAQ is increasingly important as people spend a significant portion of their time indoors. This concern is exacerbated by more airtight, energy-efficient construction, which can reduce natural ventilation and increase reliance on installed systems and occupant practices. In response, the UK Building Regulations address ventilation (Part F), while energy-efficiency requirements for new homes are set out in Part L. However, delivering these standards is complex because IAQ is influenced not only by building form and materials but also by interacting factors across design, systems, and occupancy, making it a multifaceted challenge. Therefore, effective IAQ solutions cannot be purely technical, particularly as they need to be applied to mass-market housing. This research investigates how decision-making across the home development process influences IAQ, and how a holistic, systemic approach can be implemented to address interconnected factors while avoiding unintended consequences of isolated interventions. The study aims to improve IAQ in mass-market housing by investigating pathways through which these factors interact and by identifying cost-effective solutions and mitigation strategies.

A practice-based, mixed-methods multiple-case study was conducted on six recently built UK homes. A variety of data collection techniques were employed, including extended IAQ monitoring and targeted experiments (i.e., cooking as a pollutant-generating activity). To establish a baseline, several homes were monitored during unoccupied periods. These data were triangulated with occupant surveys, daily activity diaries, and semi-structured interviews with occupants to link IAQ patterns to household practices and system use. Interviews with housing developer professionals were also conducted to investigate how decisions affecting IAQ are made throughout planning, design, construction, handover and occupation.

The findings show that IAQ outcomes result from the combined effects of pollutant-generating activities, ventilation system specification and integration, and occupant understanding and adaptation. Determining the cause of inadequate air quality was often nonlinear, as poor air quality could stem from materials and products introduced into the building, their integration, or the occupants' overall activities. The analysis of the home development process revealed that the current approach does not adequately address decision-making at all stages, instead prioritising regulatory compliance and post-occupancy responses only after problems have arisen.

This thesis contributes empirical, behavioural, and process-based insights into IAQ in new homes and demonstrates how IAQ outcomes emerge from interconnected decisions involving building design, technologies and systems, occupant behaviour, and the home development process. It develops a Pathways Approach Framework that translates these findings into a structured, system-based decision-support approach for mass-market UK housing delivery. The impact of the work is to support more informed, holistic IAQ decision-making across planning, design, construction, handover, and use, while enabling occupants to play an active role in maintaining healthier indoor environments.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Dates:	Date Event 7 May 2026 Accepted
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), Occupant Behaviour, UK Housing Delivery, Ventilation Systems, & Pathways Approach
Subjects:	CAH10 - engineering and technology > CAH10-01 - engineering > CAH10-01-02 - mechanical engineering CAH10 - engineering and technology > CAH10-01 - engineering > CAH10-01-10 - others in engineering CAH13 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01-01 - architecture CAH13 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01 - architecture, building and planning > CAH13-01-02 - building
Divisions:	Doctoral Research College > Doctoral Theses Collection Architecture, Built Environment, Computing and Engineering > Architecture and Built Environment > Architecture
Depositing User:	Louise Muldowney
Date Deposited:	11 May 2026 09:10
Last Modified:	11 May 2026 09:10
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/17026

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