Apparently it varies across Europe – in some places it’s ubiquitous, where in others it’s completely foreign. Do apartments in your country have air ventilation system? For example, each room having an air vent that connects to a unit outside which filters the outside air and exchanges it in your home? It may or may not have an AC function, but the real reason for it is to prevent stagnant air from molding the rooms, and also to prevent allergens and bugs from coming in from the open windows.
Edit: There’s some confusion I think. I’m just talking about air vents, air ducts, whatever you call them. They are metal grates that connect to metal vent shafts inside the walls/ceilings. Their job is to move air throughout the house and filter the pollen/pollutants from air on its way in. I’m sure most hospitals at least have them and probably malls and office buildings. They don’t have to have cooling or heating, that part is optional.
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It’s really common to have one in rooms with humidity (toilets, bathroom, kitchen), less for other rooms.
It’s not mandatory but I don’t think anyone building or renovating their home would refuse to get one, it’s really better to pay for that than having to deal with mold.
This is something you will see probably only in some new glass towers where apartment costs at least double of average but usually more.
outside of that some ventilation usually exists in rooms without windows, typically toilet and bathroom but forgot about any filter (unless you mount your own)
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No. Not sure about flats, but most (almost all, especially older) houses will have solid brick or concrete walls and ceilings that won’t fit air ducts inside them. Bathrooms will have (mechanical) ventilation but other rooms will have a “grille” (no idea what it’s called in English) in the window to allow for some ventilation with the windows closed.
Heating is done with radiators (old houses) or underfloor heating (new houses with heat pumps).
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No. Since most of Europe is relatively cool, and forced air heat is awful, this is very rare. Where people have AC systems, they’re usually using a mini-split, that provides cooling by pumping a cooling fluid through the house, not by using ducts. Heat is usually provided by pumping hot water through the house, not hot air, either using radiators, or underfloor heating. Hot water heating is more efficient and don’t allow dust and mold to build up in ducts, which are very hard to clean. Water based heat systems don’t dry the air the way forced air heating systems do either, so the warmth they provide is preferable.
Forced air heating is rare, and typically used in poor construction, anywhere you need heat much more than you need AC. Forced air heat is only common and preferred where you need AC more than you need heat.
Yes. Here, it’s called Minergie. Our apartment is in a Minergie building. On paper, it seems like a good idea. In real life, it means the air is constantly dry AF no matter how many humidifiers you install; when a fire occurs somewhere nearby, all the smoke is sucked into the building and fills the apartment; and no matter how hard you try to seal out pollen and allergens during allergen season, that shit gets right in and right up your nose straight into your sinuses anyway.
It depends on the age of the building.
Basically all new apartment buildings have mechanical ventilation for both incoming and exhaust air with heat exchangers. Older blocks normally have only mechanical exhaust air, and fresh air vents on walls/windows.
Pre-1980’s detached houses normally don’t have mechanical ventilation at all, only kitchen hood. 90’s detached houses usually have mechanical exhaust air. In 2000’s mechanical ventilation for both incoming and exhaust air with heat exchangers have become more and more popular, and now almost all new houses have it.
So yes, air ventilation systems are very normal for detached houses too. And to be clear, ventilation is not the same as forced air heating, as some commenters seem to be thinking. Centralized air conditioning is also very rare in detached houses and apartment blocks.