Insights into Indoor Airflow during the Pandemic and Beyond: Measurement, Visualization, and Simulation

Open to all audiences, this talk introduces new methods for visualizing and quantifying indoor airflow using Schlieren techniques – both with a large-scale mirror and through Background Oriented Schlieren in 2D and 3D – adapted to capture the subtle density gradients characteristic of indoor environments. Additional experiments employing thermal manikins exhaling heated, humidified air containing CO₂ and aerosols complement these visualization approaches. During the pandemic, these methods were used extensively in collaboration with medical scientists to investigate airflow from breathing and coughing, with and without respiratory protective devices. Beyond pandemic-specific studies, the experimental and numerical methods are applied to evaluate the impact of ventilation strategies and room design on indoor air quality and thermal comfort.

Professor Conrad Voelker

Professor Conrad Voelker leads the Department of Building Physics at Bauhaus-University Weimar, a group renowned for its research in indoor climate (including indoor air quality and thermal comfort), building and district energy performance, and building/room acoustics. The department operates state-of-the-art facilities such as a climate chamber, Schlieren laboratory, acoustics laboratory, the VertiKKA living wall, and the Bauhaus Energy Hub. Its scientific output is regularly published in high-impact journals, and Prof. Voelker and his team have received numerous awards for both research and teaching.

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