Abstract
The final aim of this study was to propose guidelines for the indoor environment of apartment remodeling projects. The first task of this study was to understand the major elements and the actual condition of the remodeling for apartment unit by carrying out in-depth interviews on residents and specialists. The open-access interviews were conducted with interior designers who have a wide experience of apartment remodeling and residents who live in recently remodeled apartment units. The second task was to evaluate the actual condition of the indoor environment and to analyze the main factors that affect the indoor environment in remodeled apartment units. Field measurements were carried out in twenty apartment units occupied after remodeling, recording indoor environment elements (indoor temperature, globe temperature, relative humidity, $CO_2$, CO, PM10, TVOC, HCHO, illumination, and equivalent noise level). Moreover, resident interviews and researcher observations were carried out to determine the contents of the remodeled unit and to investigate the architectural and living factors(like ventilation characteristics, etc.) related to the indoor environment. The results are as follows. The remodeling elements generally included the changing of lighting fixtures and finishing materials in all the spaces, the integration of the balcony into the children's room, the installation of furniture in the kitchen and the entrance, the changing storage furnitures and equipments in the bathroom. The average levels of each unit of relative humidity, $CO_2$, TVOC, HCHO, equivalent noise level, and illumination were proved to be on the whole in inadequate condition. The factors that affect these indoor elements were classified as remodeling factors (remodeling amounts, extent balcony integration, and lighting fixture exchange), ventilation characteristics, and living factors. According to these results, this research proposed the guidelines for the indoor environment in apartment remodeling projects.
