During the epidemic, an architecture and design business in New York installed interior air sensors. Then came the wildfires. Workers at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, an architectural and design firm in Lower Manhattan, had a bird’s-eye perspective of the issue as it developed as wildfire smoke started to cover New York City in June. They observed the sky’s transition from hazy, slate blues in the early hours to dirty, dishwater grey around noon from their offices, approximately 30 stories above the ground. They were gazing out at an unearthly skyline by mid-afternoon.
According to Charles Harris, an architect at the firm, “It was apocalyptic orange.” However, cold air washed through the office from the vents along the ceiling, and giant screens assured staff that the “Indoor Air Quality is Very Good.” The New York Times reported that the evaluation was based on readings from interior air-quality sensors monitoring the amounts of pollutants in real-time, including the tiny particulates dangerous in wildfire smoke.
The sensors had been put in place during the pandemic, but now that there was a new air-quality emergency, they were proving useful. Chris Cooper, a creative partner at the company, asserted, “We can say with certainty to everyone who works here, “You’re safe to come into the workplace.” Indoor air quality is not heavily regulated in the United States. Once a facility is operational, its residents frequently need to gain more knowledge of the safety of the air they are inhaling.
Sensors for indoor air quality make the invisible apparent. The pandemic has sparked interest in the equipment from customers, according to engineering and design firms, who were amongst the early adopters themselves. Customers use it to track air quality in real-time, optimize energy use, and draw in Covid-aware tenants and staff.
“I think an entirely novel idea emerged that occupiers may wish to know more about indoor air quality,” said Gideon D’Arcangelo, a designer with the international engineering and design firm Arup. And the technology is now advanced enough to make this data available. To make the most of the new technology, however, it will be necessary to address long-standing barriers to bettering indoor air quality, such as the deteriorating infrastructure of the country and a lack of regulations. Given that the pandemic’s emergency phase is over, interest may wane, according to specialists.
Additionally, a sensor system is a challenging fix. It’s an excellent instrument, Mr. Harris declared. But we’re still figuring out how to use it. In addition to renting space in the tower at 7 World Trade Centre, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, or S.O.M., they also designed the entire structure after the old-World Trade Centre was destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks. Because of this background, the architects prioritized health and safety, adding elements like extra-wide stairwells for emergency exits.
This emphasis on well-being extended to indoor air quality, and the company was already looking into sensors when Covid-19 struck. In 2019, it started developing its headquarters. Mr. Cooper, who was in charge of the office’s design, said the pandemic “accelerated the number of these conversations.”
The business set up a system that monitored carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and particulate matter, a crucial signal during the pandemic. Carbon dioxide levels can rise when people congregate indoors because humans exhale the gas. When a person with Covid-19 is present, elevated levels of carbon dioxide can be a warning that the area is not well-ventilated and that coronavirus particles may also be accumulating.
Amy Garlock, an architect at S.O.M., was anxious to return when the new office opened in 2021. She inspected the air-quality monitor by the workplace pantry each time she went to get a cup of coffee. She remarked, “It was always good.” “That helped me more positive about the place I was working in.” She continued, “It’s nice to have tangible evidence of invisible things.”
The ventilation system is connected to the sensors to react immediately as conditions change. “We get pings whenever there’s a party that’s, like, ‘Oh, your CO2 levels are peaking,'” said Ojiakor Obinani, an architect at S.O.M. who assisted in evaluating and choosing the air-quality monitoring platform. The ventilation system shifts into high gear at that point.
Establishing whether the mechanism stopped spreading viruses during the pandemic is challenging. Additionally, S.O.M. created social-distancing guidelines and vaccination requirements. There was a hiccup around 3 o’clock: one sensor picked up increasing quantities of particle matter. The team immediately found the sensor near the emergency stairs, where the air had a smokey odor. The company warned employees never to use stairs since it was apparent that polluted external air was entering the staircase.
Different events occurred throughout the day at the company’s Washington, D.C., office. The number of indoor particles increased there as the ventilation system cranked up. That implied that the structure might have brought in too much outside air or lacked adequate filters to capture the dust.
