IAQ, green building certificates and ESG management
More and more buildings are pursuing a green certificate.
Most people spend over two-thirds of their time indoors, whether it's an office building, school or other workplace. The building environment of these places has an inevitable connection with the health and wellness of its occupants, which in turn influences their productivity at work or study. More and more companies and building managers are acknowledging this and investing in green buildings in order to offer the occupant a wholesome experience.
Air quality as a critical measurement in green building certification schemes
Green building certificates are a set of rating systems and tools used to evaluate the performance of a building from a sustainability and environmental perspective.
Green building certification systems include different categories and criteria, but they all measure how good the air is inside. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is becoming one of the critical components of green building design.
According to researchers, the average contribution of IAQ to green building schemes worldwide is 7.5%. IAQ is reviewed in at least 55 green building schemes worldwide.
Green building certificates: LEED, WELL, and RESET
With green building becoming a hot topic worldwide, green building certificates such as LEED, WELL and RESET are exploding in popularity.
LEED
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is a globally recognized building rating system developed by the US Green Building Council. The test must be conducted prior to the occupier moving in. LEED sets minimum ventilation rates based on the occupancy and the size of the space. (Specific requirements can be found here.) Buildings also receive points based on the results from the CO2 and TVOC measurements.
WELL
The WELL Building Standard is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of the building environment that may impact occupant health and wellbeing. The WELL Standard requires performance tests on pollutants such as Volatile Substances, Particulate Matter and Inorganic Gases, Radon etc., by their own auditors (WELL Assessors). The test is conducted after occupation, and a re-test can be arranged when failing the first time.
RESET
RESET is 100% based on indoor air quality. It tests for PM 2.5, TVOC, CO2 etc. RESET focuses on ongoing performance and sets targets for daily IAQ performance based on industry best practices and international standards. To get certified for RESET air, the IAQ monitoring results of the building must be kept within required standards and continually reported for more than three months. Reference for daily IAQ performance targets can be found here.
(As a RESET accredited data provider, we are also proud to announce our new exclusive package dedicated to RESET APs. This package covers all the data needs of projects pursuing RESET certificates, and in the meanwhile, proposes attractive features for air quality monitoring for a competitive price.)
IAQ in ESG management
ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate governance) is a way organizations can focus on and measure their investments' sustainability and societal impact.
At workplaces, a wholesome indoor environment that promotes good health and wellbeing of the employees is emerging as a major component of ESG. Helping people thrive at work is fundamental to the notions of ESG.
The environmental wellness of a workplace comes from high air quality, thermal comfort etc. In such an environment, employees are healthier, staff-retention rates are higher, productivity is higher. More and more companies are seeing the benefits of investing in high indoor environmental quality. Cundall London has demonstrated a positive ROI outcome from WELL within three months by calculating their reductions in sick leave and attrition without accounting for all the other benefits.
Ending
Adequate air quality is an integral part of wholesome indoor environments and a profitable investment. Regular air quality monitoring also empowers constant monitoring of occupant wellbeing and the opportunity to immediately improve air quality if the monitoring system is integrated with HVAC. Building owners and managers need to conduct air quality assessments before and during occupancy to comply with any green building schemes.
If you are considering adopting a green building certificate building, start by monitoring your indoor air quality.
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