A Guide to Cleaner Interior Air

We know COVID-19 is spread through the air. As designers and engineers think about future buildings, there is little doubt that this pandemic will change how they will consider how to reduce the spread of this and other airborne pathogens.

While putting desks at distances of greater than six feet apart, using  and cleaning surfaces will be priorities for many companies, ventilation has also been at the forefront of many discussions about COVID-19. “It’s something that, as far as COVID-19 is concerned, is ever-evolving,” Rachel Gutter, President of the International WELL Building Institute, told GlobeSt earlier this year. 

Increasing outdoor air flow, filtering and cleaning air and short-wave ultraviolet light are things to consider when reducing the spread of pathogens, according to a NAIOP blog post written by Ted Osborne, senior director of PS&S.

Bringing in more fresh air “dilutes” indoor air and  potentially reduces the amount of contaminated air per person. “This can be done by disabling demand-controlled ventilation and increasing minimum outdoor air damper positions,” Osborne says.

Using Minimum Efficiency Rating Value 13 and above filters, which are commonly used in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, provide great efficiency in trapping particles and limiting bypass, according Osborne. 

Osborne also suggests using indoor air cleaners with high-efficiency particulate air filters. “As the name suggests, these devices filter 99.97% of particles over a certain size,” Osborne writes.

Building owners and managers could also consider CASPR (Continuous Air and Surface Pathogen Reduction) devices, which spray trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide into indoor air that 99.9% of pathogens in the air and on surfaces. 

Due to its ability to kill or deactivate bacteria, viruses, mold and other pathogens, short-wave ultraviolet light can also be an important tool in the fight against pathogens.

“Installing Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation [UVGI] in high-room [9-feet or higher] lighting applications in mechanical units and heating ducts to kill pathogens without damage to a person’s skin or eyes,” Osborne writes.

Not surprisingly, many firms have been proactive in meeting the new health and safety needs in offices. In addition to touchless technologies, Parallel Capital Partners is focusing on updating its HVAC system and air purification systems in two of its Phoenix high-rise office buildings. This will include the installation of a Plasma Air sterilization system, which is known for “proactively attack[ing] pathogens via positively and negatively charged oxygen ions.”