Manfred Plagmann
Principal Scientist (BRANZ), Co-Director (He Kainga Oranga/Housing and Health Research Programme)
BRANZ, He Kainga Oranga/Housing and Health Research Programme
Trained in physics, chemistry and management science, Manfred is working in applied building science and interacts with many national and international stakeholders. He is involved in international research programme on indoor air quality, pollutants and ventilation.
Manfred is happy to co-supervise Masters and PhD students.
Research interests
- Ventilation and air purification technology and their practical application in New Zealand;
- Indoor air quality and health impact;
- Energy use to create a healthy indoor environment;
- Moisture transport and fungal growth on building materials;
- Occupant behaviour as it impacts energy use and indoor environmental conditions;
- Sensing technology and analysis;
- Numerical modelling, optimisation and data science.
Publications
20 November 2023
Healthy indoor air is a fundamental necessity and poor indoor air quality is responsible for both economic costs and loss of life. New Zealand studies have indicated the presence of pollutants in homes. Preliminary findings from an ongoing study shows that indoor personal exposure of some chemicals appears high.
30 November 2022
Over the last 12 months, the New Zealand Ministry of Education’s COVID-19 ventilation programme, in collaboration with its advisory group of ventilation experts, have carried out a series of targeted studies which enhanced the understanding of the role of natural ventilation and informed our ventilation guidance to schools.
18 March 2020
This study investigates the thermal efficiency of a solar air heater (SAH), when it was mounted on a custom-made support frame, and was operated under different air mass flow rate.