Topic：Exploring two environment phenomena in dense cities and crowded buildings – heat dome and surface touch

Speaker: Prof. Yuguo Li

Location: Meeting Room, School of Power and Mechanical Engineering

Time: 10 a.m., Thursday, March 29th, 2018

Abstract

Human being face significant environmental challenges as our cities grow, e.g. increased spread of infectious diseases, and city warming and air pollution. How environment become a factor in density design? Here we describe two seemingly unrelated environment phenomena, though both are of anthropogenic origins. The first occurs in our city, arising from urban heat island circulation, in combination with calm wind condition and atmospheric inversion. The occurrence of urban heat dome is generally associated with urban heat waves and urban haze accumulation. We report our new findings on the interaction between the heat dome and winds, which can result in wind weakening or even synergistic urban heat waves. The second occurs indoors, arising from the need of human life and work. We touch and live on surfaces. We spend more than 90% of indoor time in touch surfaces, which is known to transmit infection. I shall describe how we touch, and how it leads to a surface touch network, how such network grows and spreads viruses and bacteria, and how particles transfer from one surface to another. This is where the hygiene measures are linked to disease control. As a summary, I like to comment on future building density design and associated research needs.

About The Lecturer

Dr. Yuguo Li is Professor, Associate Dean of Engineering (Research) and former Head of Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Honorary Professor of School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong. He studied at Shanghai Jiaotong University, Tsinghua and KTH in Stockholm, and was a Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO. His main research interests are on built environment engineering (indoor air quality, city climate, and environment studies of infection). He led the development of 2009 WHO guidelines on natural ventilation. He currently serves as an Associate Editor of Indoor Air, and President of ISIAQ Academy of Fellows. He received John Rydberg Gold Medal from SCANVAC in 2014, and an Honorary Doctor Degree from Aalborg University, Denmark, 2015 and the Inoue Memorial Award, SHASE, Japan in 2016. He was elected a Fellow of ASHRAE, ISIAQ, HKIE, and IMechE.