A FIELD STUDY OF THE INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OF CAR PARKS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

As Singapore grows increasingly more affluent, so does car ownership rates. The fact that cars not only serve as a means of transport but also as a symbol of status exponentially increases the demand for private cars. There are an increasing number of cars on the roads, but roads alone do not cater for all the needs of cars. At the end of the car’s journey on the road, sufficient space must be provided for the parking of the car. Since space is never known to be in excess here in the tiny island of Singapore, most car parks built in the recent years are often underground ones. As with most underground spaces, the build-up of pollutants is inevitable and the need for ventilation becomes an essential consideration to ensure comfort. This dissertation aims to tackle the problem of indoor environment quality of car parks in Singapore and how it affects users of the car park. This paper explores specifically the types of mechanical or non-mechanical ventilation system installed in basement car parks in Singapore office buildings. It was found that there are three types of systems used in car parks namely Jet fans, Ducted and Hybrid ventilation systems. Of these 3 systems, jet fans are found to provide the best environmental quality in a car park in terms of air quality, thermal comfort and acoustical comfort. For lighting, the only aspect of IEQ not dependent on ventilation systems, findings show that most lighting levels in car parks are below recommended levels even though the user survey indicates that users do not often have a problem of lighting adequacy in basement car parks. Lastly and interestingly, results of the user survey indicated that users of car parks place a high level of importance on air quality and thermal comfort. This ultimately point back to the overall conclusion of the paper and need for an underground space to be well-ventilated for optimal comfort despite the short period of occupancy.