Bridging Gaps in Indoor Air Quality Integration – Research on Croatia’s Construction Sector

The quality of the built environment plays a central role in influencing the quality of indoor air. While a number of European regulations and policies target the improvement of outdoor air quality, a unified strategy to indoor air quality (IAQ) is yet to emerge. The revised EPBD has provoked a shift in bringing activities upfront for including Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) into sustainable building design regulations, yet specifically Indoor Air Quality still needs efforts in being recognized as a crucial segment in design planning for sustainability to remain a healthy environment for occupants, but also to emphasize energy efficiency. This paper investigates the level of understanding and interpretation of Indoor Air Quality among professionals in the construction sector in Croatia. The results are analyzed based on data assessment collected through a survey, with respondents from diverse disciplines within the construction sector. Based on the research, more than 50% of respondents are not familiar with EPBD provisions on IEQ and its quality parameters. They understand correlations and principles with other aspects of the design, but lack direct knowledge on how specifically act in order to create impact for change. Also, since the established certification system in Croatia is the DGNB scheme, professionals still lack practical implementation of encountering with the criteria, also knowledge on basic guidelines and provisions for regulation. This assessment also indicates verdicts to encounter in terms of improving the design and construction process according to the baseline criterion – IAQ to achieve sustainability.