Design
SA BUILDINGS CAN ACHIEVE
HOSPITAL-GRADE INDOOR AIR QUALITY TO GIVE THEM THE EDGE
By Edward Hector , managing director of the SFI Group
Over two years of Covid restrictions have given employers a taste for just how complex managing airborne pandemics will be in future .
Given that fact , smart managers have already understood the business benefits of supplying hospital-quality air management in offices . From property owners looking to secure high-end , long-term tenants , to CEOs hoping to attract and retain scarce skills , indoor air quality must be more than a regulatory tick-boxing exercise .
How we ventilate our buildings has a significant impact on the transmission of airborne diseases and the pandemic has placed the spotlight squarely on how we manage air quality in the built environment . Unfortunately , based on current regulations most building management and business leaders are focused only on odour and dust control as well as thermal management , with little regard to how they could be making significant , and possibly life saving changes , thanks to technical advances over the last few years .
GOVERNMENTS REQUIRING MORE ACTION The need to better manage the quality of air that workers breathe has long been on the regulatory radar . In response to the pandemic , the South African Department of Labour has published a new Code of Practice , which includes a focus on increased ventilation rates in order to reduce the viral load in occupied spaces .
This has been the response of many global regulators , with Belgium taking it a step further , publishing a ventilation plan applicable to all places open to the public , including bars , restaurants , cinemas , and so on .
The Belgian regulator has the right idea . We certainly have the ability to significantly cut down the spread of airborne diseases through better air quality management . However , increasing your fresh air intake also increases your energy consumption as the air-conditioning system has to cool down or heat up the fresh air to maintain comfort levels .
For green building certification , energy consumption is one of the key aspects to achieving a Green Star rating , not to mention the new guidelines published on energy consumption for new buildings .
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IT ’ S NOT AS SIMPLE AS IT SEEMS The solution is not as simple as just pumping more air into a building . When calling for ventilation rates to be increased , there is an assumption that the outside air being introduced is of a high quality .
Numerous studies have highlighted the toxic nature of our outdoor air , particularly in industrial areas and places close to power stations , but also from emissions from motor vehicles in cities . Sadly , South Africa is well behind developed countries in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and we should carefully consider the term ventilation being synonymous with ‘ fresh ’ air . The problem is exacerbated when it comes to heating and cooling the air in buildings . The traditional air handling unit is [ generally speaking ] a breeding ground for pathogens
" The quality of air that workers breathe has long been on the regulatory radar ."
In the majority of instances improved IAQ can be achieved without major changes and at relatively low capex and opex .
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I September 2022 49