The Challenge of Advanced Indoor Control: A new Multi-operative Lab with Innovative Envelope Solutions and Multiple Air-conditioning Systems

Indoor conditions in a confined space are the result of the interactions with the surrounding environments, air-conditioning effects, occupants' presence, and activities. The airconditioning systems' role in controlling the microclimate became fundamental in the last years, but with the COVID-19 pandemic also their crucial task in contamination and infection diffusion emerged, especially in healthcare facilities. The idea of H-MOLISE (Healthcare Multi-Operative Lab for Innovative Structures and Equipment), whose setup is presented below, arose from these considerations. The new lab is under construction in Campobasso (Italy) at the University of Molise and it will aim to test innovative solutions for the envelope (ventilated facades, green roof, etc.) and active energy systems for advanced control of indoor conditions, as can be necessary in hospitals. In particular, it will be possible to simulate a real-scale operating block with an operating room compliant for the most advanced surgeries, or rooms of the civil sector. The lab will be equipped with a multitude of plants and terminals to evaluate their effects on indoor fluid dynamics, air quality, and thermal-hygrometric conditions. The lab plants will be reconfigurable, and a dedicated monitoring and data acquisition system for the main quantities to be controlled will be installed.