Your Easy Button to Addressing Healthy Buildings

When you enter the doctor's office, do you take notice of how many people are coughing, or wonder how clean the air is in the building? What about at your office building, do you feel how hot or cool it is in the space? Do you change your mind on a restaurant if the lighting is too dim or if the music is too loud? Without thinking too much about it, many of our decisions are driven by Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). As an occupant, we make decisions about where to go and what makes us feel safe, especially as the Omicron variant surges. We look to building owners to take precautions and address their Indoor Air Quality (IAQ).

If you’re a building owner, our Boland team is here to act as your easy button. We’ll take care of your IEQ by performing an assessment and implementing solutions to help you better optimize your space.

To assess the health of your indoor space, we’ll take a look at the four elements of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ):

1. Indoor air quality (IAQ)

2. Thermal comfort

3. Lighting

4. Acoustics

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

The air quality in a building affects the health, comfort, and well-being of building occupants. That is why we address it in four steps: Exhaust, Dilute, Clean, and Contain.

Thermal Comfort

Managing the temperature of a building is crucial for creating a comfortable and stimulating space for occupants. It is also how you can manage energy efficiency throughout the building, as the HVAC system is often a primary source of energy consumption. Workspaces set within certain temperature ranges allow for better productivity by workers as well as mitigates contaminants like mold by keeping humidity at proper levels.

Lighting

Lighting supports human well-being, performance, and productivity. In addition to understanding research behind circadian rhythm, there also lies an opportunity to network lighting systems to reduce electric and heat loads. This creates a more comfortable space to work and operate in to improve the mind and overall wellbeing using tools you may already have, like a smart building automation system.

Acoustics

Acoustics account for the impact of sounds within the work environment. It is important to factor in the sounds of your large mechanical equipment such as chillers, rooftop units, and air handlers by focusing on absorption, blocking, and masking.

Now that you know what the elements are, it’s time to work on a game plan to optimize your building's IEQ.

Here’s Your Easy Button:

1. Assess: We’ll work with you to find the best solutions available within your budget that meet your business goals, and you receive a proper assessment of your system with a professional who can help you weigh pros and cons.

2. Mitigate: After assessing your building, you need a solution and strategy to help you meet your goals and industry guidelines. Our recommendations are rooted in science and data, so you can be confident in your investment.

3. Manage: Once we've implemented the right solution, we're here to keep your system functioning as it is designed to function with proper care and maintenance. We'll utilize data from censors and occupant surveys to continue to make improvements and adjust as you operate.

Ready to begin? Start with an assessment: Fill out the form below, email info@boland.com, or call us at (240) 306-3000 to speak with an expert.