International WELL Building Institute (IWBI)’s Post

As kids return to school, policymakers return to mandates that will protect indoor air quality for students. As the body of evidence behind indoor air quality impacts increases, both private and public facilities are looking to measure improvements. #Trotter&Morton #LincService

As kids return to school, policymakers return to mandates that will protect indoor air quality for students. As the body of evidence behind indoor air quality impacts increases, both private and public facilities are looking to measure improvements. #pcautomatedcontrols #LincService #back2school

As kids return to school, policymakers return to mandates that will protect indoor air quality for students. As the body of evidence behind indoor air quality impacts increases, both private and public facilities are looking to measure improvements. #LincService Link: https://rb.gy/22lv7r

As kids return to school, policymakers return to mandates that will protect indoor air quality for students. As the body of evidence behind indoor air quality impacts increases, both private and public facilities are looking to measure improvements. https://rb.gy/22lv7r

As kids return to school, policymakers return to mandates that will protect indoor air quality for students. As the body of evidence behind indoor air quality impacts increases, both private and public facilities are looking to measure improvements. #LincService #EmeraldAire #Education #indoorairquality Link: https://rb.gy/22lv7r

I congratulate Prof Geoff Hanmer on his excellent article promoting air conditioning in every Australian school, with which I totally agree! However, from decades of experience reading and applying the provisions of the Building Code of Australia, now the National Construction Code, it is apparent that Prof Hanmer, along as justabout everyone else involved in the construction & HVAC industries, including the ABCB, do not have a thorough and accurate understanding of how NCC compliance is achieved, particularly for ventilation. The NCC is all about "performance" so when applied to ventilation, it is the actual flow of ventilation air into a building that achieves NCC compliance. Therefore, any ventilation device provided in a building, whether openings for natural ventilation or a mechanical ventilation system, must be OPEN and operating, actively delivering outdoor air to the occupants to be both effective and NCC compliant. The key points of difference between Prof Hanmer's article and true NCC compliance are: - Natural ventilation through openable windows can be sufficient in a temperate climate, BUT, the windows MUST be OPEN to allow the free flow of outdoor air into the space whenever that space is occupied. no flow of ventilation air = NON-NCC compliance. Where indoor heating and/or cooling is required for comfort, natural ventilation is NOT permitted, in which case "air conditioning complying with AS1668.2 is REQUIRED, as the only option that will achieve NCC compliance. This can be proved beyond doubt, based entirely on the existing provisions in the NCC, which I shall describe in detail in an article I will publish shortly. This should be very good news to Prof Hanmer and anyone interested in IAQ, as it opens the way to realising there always has been a legally binding pathway to providing air-conditioning with integrated ventilation systems in all schools and every other class of building, which only needs to be enforced, without having to change a single word in the NCC. Watch this space...

My article in The Conversation today. We should take indoor air quality and thermal comfort in schools seriously.

Breathe easy = learn easy? Research suggests that indoor air quality could have a major impact on a child’s education. In a collaborative project with Boston Public Schools, a Boston University environmental health researcher is studying ways to improve indoor air quality in classrooms. For example, carpets play a key role in indoor air quality. Using automated vacuum cleaners can be a cost-effective way for schools to keep dust and allergens out of the air. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4cTeOKB #airquality #indoorairquality #schoolcleaning

Over 8,000 children are to benefit from state of the art air purifiers which have been installed in over 30 primary schools by #Hertfordshire County Council, it was announced today. Each of the schools will also have #airquality monitors connected in each classroom, so pupils will be able to monitor the impact of the air purifiers. Hertfordshire County Council’s director of Growth and Environment, Mark Doran, explained what makes this project different: ‘This is one of the first projects of its kind to install air purifiers at this scale and then actually measure the difference they make. ‘We’re working in partnership with Schools’ Air Quality Monitoring for Health and Education (SAMHE), who have provided air quality monitors, so the project will be continuously monitored and rigorously evaluated. ‘This will also offer great educational opportunities, as pupils and teachers can view the data and use it in curriculum-linked activities and experiments, seeing for themselves the impact of the air filters. ‘The project forms part of our work to deliver our Sustainable Hertfordshire ambition of cleaner air for all by 2030 and we hope that the results, available next year, will demonstrate many benefits, including less illness-related absences.’ Priority is being given to schools located in areas of high deprivation and with higher outdoor air pollution levels, with specific attention being given to special schools. Hertfordshire County Council’s director of Public Health, Sarah Perman, added: ‘Children spend around 30 per cent of their time in school, and around 70 per cent of that is indoors. ‘Air pollution can make many health conditions worse, including respiratory illnesses like asthma, with primary children most at risk because their lungs are at a crucial developmental stage. We also know that it can affect concentration levels and academic performance. ‘This project will help around 8,000 children and 400+ staff breathe cleaner air while they are at school and reap the benefits of a #cleaner, #greener, healthier Hertfordshire.’ A second phase to roll out to a further 10 schools is in development, taking the number of children breathing cleaner air to well over 10,000.