Latest Measurement Campaign of the GIANT Project Revealed the Influence of Outdoor Air Quality on Indoor Air

The large and multidisciplinary GIANT project (Global trends in IAQ: Novel technologies, Competence and Business; https://www.giant-iaq.fi/), led by Tampere University, investigates ultrafine particles, black carbon, volatile organic compounds, and secondary aerosols in indoor and outdoor air. In addition to Tampere University, the project consortium includes the Finnish Meteorological Institute, VTT, the University of Helsinki, the University of Eastern Finland, HSY, a large number of companies, the cities of Tampere, Helsinki and Vantaa, as well as Tamlink.

At the heart of the project have been measurement campaigns on indoor and outdoor aerosols, of which many have already been conducted. The measurements have utilized high‑performance instruments and sensor-type devices suitable for air quality monitoring. In addition, samples have been collected during the campaigns for later analysis. The diversity of measurement locations has enabled a better understanding of, on one hand, how building-technical factors influence indoor air quality, and on the other hand, new insights regarding the impact of outdoor air. “For example, the concentration of ultrafine particles in outdoor air strongly depends on nearby sources, particularly traffic. According to our measurements, this is often reflected in indoor air quality as well, depending on the building’s location and the implementation of its ventilation,” says Postdoctoral Researcher Laura Salo from Tampere University.

In the project’s most recent measurement campaign, measurements were carried out in Tampere at a Tredun campus. “In these measurements, what particularly caught our attention were the indoor black carbon concentrations during the cold spell. Black carbon particles enter the atmosphere not only from traffic but also, for example, when wood is burned. Increased wood heating in the nearby buildings was the likely reason for our observation,” says Doctoral Researcher Ville Silvonen from Tampere University.

Aamulehti’s news article on the measurement campaign (in Finnish): https://www.aamulehti.fi/tiedejateknologia/art-2000011815706.html