“People are reporting on air quality in buildings and holding building managers, owners, and operators accountable. This represents a paradigm shift, in that this information is no longer privately held...If (building owners and managers) are not constantly measuring this, you need to start now." — Joseph Allen, Associate Professor, Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health

The following news brief is excerpt from Indoor Air Quality and how it affects CRE Decisions, by Joe Dyton, Connected Real Estate Magazine, October 28, 2021

How do Commercial Real Estate (CRE) owners address Indoor Air Quality?

A recent survey revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic led to CRE building management and operations changes to ensure occupants’ health and wellness became a top priority, according to the Urban Land Institute. RE Tech Advisors conducted the survey on UBI’s behalf in April 2021, and it comprised responses from about 300 real estate professionals. The survey categorized the findings in terms of building, human and financial impact.

“The coronavirus created some dramatic shifts in real estate operations, and together with the country’s racial reckoning, a new era has been ushered in with profound implications for the future of the industry,” Deborah Cloutier, president and founder of RE Tech Advisors said.

Some of the key findings from the survey included:

• Building managers and operators pivoted quickly to respond to the pandemic

• Advanced filtration, mask wearing, temperature checks, and other measures were prevalent, as were enhanced communication strategies.

• Survey respondents forecast that many health-oriented building changes are here to stay.

• Flexibility was prevalent in navigating the financial impacts of the pandemic, with 80 percent of respondents implementing rent concessions and other measures.

About 24% of the survey respondents implemented equipment and operational measures, and an additional 10% had done so prior to the pandemic, according to UBI. The most common changes were increased outdoor air and installation of highly efficient Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value-13 (MERV-13) air filters. MERV is the primary rating system used for air filtration. Natural ventilation and increased air flow were also among the list of common equipment measures taken. 

CRE owners put attention on Indoor Air Quality 

Now that scientific evidence has shown COVID-19 can be transmitted by poor air circulation, it should motivate more people in the CRE industry to improve their building’s air ventilation and filtration, according to Joseph Allen, associate professor at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

“COVID is an indoor virus; all the cases have occurred in under-ventilated locations,” he said. “Knowing that it is spread primarily through airborne transmission will lead to a fundamental shift in how we design and construct buildings.” he said.

Allen also acknowledged that the ULI survey responses indicated that there was more of an emphasis on deep cleaning than improving air quality—something that needs to be adjusted if CRE office buildings are going to continue to give tenants peace of mind.

“Shared air is the problem, not shared surfaces,” Allen said. Read More

Source: Connected Real Estate Magazine
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