Wellbeing in buildings
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Healthy buildings, healthy people
The importance of the nation’s health and wellbeing has been hitting the spotlight. As such it’s important to include a further examination of the all important publication of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Healthy Homes and Buildings’ White Paper Building our Future. In this feature David Cook, product marketing manager – non-residential at Vent-Axia, looks at the findings of the White Paper and the crucial effect building design has on the nation
2018, looks at the detrimental impact poor quality buildings are having on our health and wellbeing, making far reaching recommendations on how this should be tackled. With most people spending 90% of their time indoors, the White Paper calls on the Government to provide a public health focus that takes into account the indoor environment as much as the external environment. Within the document the White Paper finds that poor quality buildings often suffer from poor indoor air quality (IAQ), which has been linked to allergy and asthma, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease and dementia, with over 204,000 healthy life years lost annually. And these ‘unhealthy’ buildings are cited as causing problems for the economy and society too - increased reliance and use of healthcare services; poorer educational attendance and attainment; and reduced productivity and increased absenteeism at work. Within the document, the White Paper makes clear
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recommendations to the Government on how it can improve standards in homes and buildings to benefit occupants’ health and wellbeing. Within these recommendations to help overcome the problem of unhealthy homes and buildings, the White Paper calls for better and consistent building standards and regulations. It also calls for both New Build building design and building renovations to consider health and wellbeing and take a holistic approach to consider elements such as ventilation, heating, energy efficiency, air quality, lighting and acoustics. The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Healthy Homes and Buildings, which published the
January 2019
ealth and wellbeing has struck a chord. The APPG for Healthy Homes and Buildings’ recent White Paper, published on October 24,
White Paper, believes that it is only by taking such a holistic approach to delivering healthy homes and buildings that we can make changes where the real benefits can be realised. Without focusing on the issue as a whole, it suggests we risk making gains by tackling one issue, simply to lose them again by failing to tackle another.
Within the holistic design of healthy buildings, ventilation and indoor air quality are two key areas to consider. It is therefore no surprise that the publication of the White Paper follows hot on the heels of DEFRA’s new Clean Air Strategy consultation, published on May 22, 2018, which confirmed the importance of clean air. This draft strategy outlines the Government's ambitions to reduce air pollution, making our air healthier to breathe, protecting nature and boosting the economy, with the draft setting a clear direction for future air quality policies and goals. The consultation closed in August 2018 and the final UK Clean Air Strategy and detailed National Air Pollution Control Programme is to be published by March 2019.
Healthy buildings
Whilst the government is starting to address the causes of air pollution, until air quality improves it is essential to look at ways of improving the quality of air being brought into buildings. So what solutions can contractors use when looking holistically at building services? One solution is to specify modern ventilation with air filtration. The latest Demand Energy Recovery Ventilation (D-ERV) or Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) units tackle air pollutants generated outside of the building, by filtering the air before supplying it to the inside of the building. By removing these pollutants from the
outside air being brought into a building, air filtration systems improve indoor air quality (IAQ) and so offer a healthier indoor environment. For example, the Vent-Axia Pure Air is fitted to the
intake airflow of a D-ERV or MVHR system and incorporates two types of filtration: enhanced activated carbon which removes unpleasant odours and harmful gases such as nitrogen dioxide; and G4 or F7 particulate filters which can remove tiny airborne contaminants such as pollen, bacteria and PM2.5 diesel particulates.
It’s also important to tackle pollutants generated inside a building such as VOCs and CO2. On demand ventilation, such as D-ERV, supplies or extracts air only when and to the level it is required. Sophisticated sensors monitor these ‘internal pollutants’ along with humidity and temperature and adjust ventilation accordingly, further enhancing IAQ. Demand ventilation systems, such as the Sentinel Totus² D-ERV system from Vent-Axia, have a range of sensors, such as CO2, PIR occupancy detection, humidity or temperature, which determine the room’s air quality, adjusting the ventilation requirements automatically and managing the system’s ventilation rates accordingly. With the publication of this latest White Paper
recognising the wider benefits of healthy buildings and how the health and wellbeing of everyone not only affects the individual but our economy and society as a whole, now is the time for everyone to adopt a more holistic approach to the built environment. By marrying the benefits of ventilation and good IAQ with improved lighting, acoustics, heating and energy efficiency, we all stand to lead healthier, more productive lives. This all-round approach to building design is surely a win-win for everyone.
www.heatingandventilating.net
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