Air Quality and Ventilation

Air Quality & Ventilation
2 Formal CPD Points

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed our vulnerability to the risks of diseases that spread through the air, including SARS-CoV2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19.

The risk of COVID-19 infection is higher in indoor spaces, and it’s even higher when those indoor spaces are poorly ventilated.

Poor ventilation in public buildings, workplace environments, schools, hospitals, and aged care homes contribute to viral spread. Research has shown that good ventilation is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection, in concert with other mitigations, including vaccination, density limits, the use of PPE and air purifying devices.

In a recently published article “A paradigm shift to combat indoor respiratory infection”, Morawska et al (2021) calls for transformative change to the way ventilation systems are designed with an emphasis on healthy air rather than comfort. This approach could lead to a revolution in ventilation and air conditioning practices like the changes in water supply and sewerage that followed Edwin Chadwick’s “Report on the Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population of Great Britain” in 1842.

Such strong recommendations from the academic community highlight a potential disconnect between researchers and the construction industry about the objectives of ventilation and air conditioning systems in buildings. It also points to inadequacies in the current regulatory regime for ventilation and air conditioning of buildings.

This CPD presentation will summarise the current state of building ventilation and indoor air quality requirements and examine different strategies to ensure buildings deliver healthy air. Practical strategies to deliver better ventilation, particularly in naturally ventilated Aged Care Facilities and Schools, will be examined.

It will also highlight areas where a shift in traditional approaches and design benchmarks could transform mechanical systems from a minimum-standards approach to making the internal environment healthier. Could such a transformation change our relationship with the built environment and underpin a revolutionary improvement in public health outcomes?

Join our panel of experts on October 6, 2021, who will look at these issues in detail and consider strategies to ensure buildings are designed and operated to deliver healthy indoor environments.

Our expert panel will focus special attention on practical design strategies to deliver better ventilation for high-risk locations for disease spread particularly in aged care facilities, apartment buildings, restaurants and pubs, offices, and schools.