The classic business maxim states that we manage what we measure. So how do we measure the health of our buildings? The proliferation of lower-cost indoor air quality (IAQ) sensors represents both a paradigm and a power shift, allowing us to continually ‘take the pulse’ of our buildings and, by doing so: keep people safe and comfortable, improve worker productivity, and advance climate and sustainability goals. Both Denver’s and Boston’s public school systems have put these types of sensors in classrooms, New York City is considering a similar plan for schools and government buildings, and Amazon just rolled out a real-time air quality monitoring network across its entire global commercial office portfolio. A head-in-the-sand approach to these issues won’t hold for much longer. The Covid-19 pandemic led to a now universal awareness about the importance of indoor air quality, while climate change continues to stress the need for new and more sustainable technologies. There are five fundamental shifts occurring that will forever change the way we design and operate buildings. This new healthy buildings era represents one of the greatest health, business, and career opportunities of this century.
Learning Objectives
- Discuss the emerging trends in the healthy buildings movement and how they are shaping policy and practice
- Understand advances in real-time air quality monitoring and new indoor air quality standards
- Examine how cities and major corporations are implementing air quality sensors, the outcomes of these initiatives, and the lessons learned that can be applied to other projects.
- Explore the potential for real-time monitoring to be used to meet health and sustainability goals.
- Joe Allen
Associate Professor & Director of Harvard's Healthy Buildings Program - Harvard School of Public Health