Built environment

Recommended relative humidity limits in data centers with a specific focus on the upper and lower limits of relative humidity (RH) – insights from ASHRAE Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Environments1, Chapter 2.

Research has delivered abundant evidence the energy and thermal comfort performance of much of Australia’s existing housing is woeful.

On Sunday, May 17, 2026, homeowners around Australia opened their doors to the public for Sustainable House Day.

Australian air filtration requirements for mechanically ventilated spaces are about to undergo a seismic shift – bringing local standards in line with international peers after lagging behind for over a decade.

Poor indoor air quality is increasingly recognised as a hidden health risk, driving respiratory problems, exacerbating chronic disease, and accelerating the transmission of airborne infections

We examine the important role instrumentation and control technicians – or “instros” for short – play in optimising HVAC&R systems.

AIRAH Advocacy and Policy Manager Mark Vender speaks with ASHRAE Fellow and Distinguished Lecturer Robert Bean, whose occupant-first philosophies have sparked an entirely different way of thinking about HVAC design.

Daniel Bonatti, M.AIRAH, explains how double-skin façades can improve building performance through enhanced heat, light and acoustic management.

Samantha Bothma M.ACould clever design improve the thermal performance of holiday cabins and reduce the energy needed to cool and heat them? Willow Aliento investigates.

Ecolibrium speaks with Distinguished Professor Lidia Morawska about an ambitious QUT project to provide world-leading indoor air quality monitoring and control in a university building.

With a dedicated humidity workshop taking place during IAQ26 in Cairns, AIRAH’s IAQ Special Technical Group (STG) reflects on the importance of humidity control.

With Standards Australia recently adopting a mould remediation standard, we look at how this hidden killer can harm both building occupants and HVAC&R technicians.

Ecolibrium speaks with Jess Ward, whose experience with mould-related illness led to an extraordinary career change.

Australians own and use an excessive amount of floor space compared to other countries. Laura Timberlake explores how going small can have big benefits for thermal performance, heating and cooling costs, and the embodied carbon of residential buildings.

We look back at the major discussions from AIRAH’s 2025 Indoor Air Quality Conference (IAQ25), which was held in Melbourne from May 26–27.

Sonia Holzheimer, M.AIRAH, reflects on the good, the bad, and the ugly misunderstood aspects of AS 1668.2.