Healthy Air: Recent Episodes
Erik Malmstrom
Keeping air safe has never been more important. Now that we are in the next normal, it is critical that the air we breathe in shared indoor spaces is healthy and safe for continued occupancy. Are we ready to face this challenge and mitigate airborne exposure risk indoors? Welcome to Healthy Air, a podcast that talks about the future of buildings and how to keep air safe and healthy. Keep up with the latest industry trends, latest technologies, and regulatory changes with your host, Erik Malmstrom, industry experts, and the SafeTraces team here on Healthy Air.
In this episode, Christian Weeks and Dr. Marwa Zaatari have a discussion with Erik Malmstrom about the recently released white paper, How to Achieve Sustainable IAQ: A Roadmap to Simultaneously Improving IAQ & Meeting Building Decarbonization and Climate Resiliency Goals. Not only do they discuss the steps outlined in the paper for achieving sustainable indoor air quality, but they also talk about the evolution of ASHRAE guidance, innovations and new technologies to achieve IAQ goals, and the bottom line of cost effectiveness of good and sustainable IAQ.
Details on the guests:
Christian Weeks is the CEO at enVerid Systems, Inc and is a leader in indoor air quality and energy efficiency. With over a decade of experience, Christian has a passion for helping buildings achieve their energy efficiency and indoor air quality goals through smart investments in HVAC systems and improving air cleaning technologies. Christian is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Harvard Business School.
Marwa Zaatari is partner at D ZINE Partners & co-chair of enVerid Systems Advisory Board. Dr. Zaatari is a board member at the US Green Buildings Council, an ASHRAE distinguished lecturer, and a member of several ASHRAE committees. Dr. Zaatari earned a PhD in architectural and environmental engineering from the University of Texas at Austin with a focus on the built environment and a master’s degree in engineering management from the American University of Beirut Lebanon with a focus on energy management.
Keeping air safe has never been more important. Now that we are in the next normal, it is critical that the air we breathe in shared indoor spaces is healthy and safe for continued occupancy. Are we ready to face this challenge and mitigate airborne exposure risk indoors? Welcome to Healthy Air, a podcast that talks about the future of buildings and how to keep air safe and healthy. Keep up with the latest industry trends, latest technologies, and regulatory changes with your host, Erik Malmstrom, industry experts, and the SafeTraces team here on Healthy Air.
SHOW NOTES: * Purpose Behind the Paper [2:09] * Authors and Collaborators [4:18] * The Evolution of ASHRAE Guidance [6:40] * The Framework for Sustainable IAQ [10:12] * Establishing Indoor Air Quality Goals [12:58] * Increased Efficiencies of Ventilation & Filtration [16:58] * Validating and Monitoring of IAQ [23:47] * Market Drivers Behind Sustainable IAQ [27:31] * Current Feedback on the White Paper [33:53]
RESOURCES: * enVerid Systems Website: https://enverid.com/ * Christian Weeks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-weeks-5972a21/ * D ZINE Partners Website: https://www.dzinepartners.com/ * Dr. Marwa Zaatari’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drzaatari/ * Dr. Marwa Zaatari’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/marwa_zaatari?lang=en
QUOTES: "Our goals at enVerid Systems with our recent white paper about sustainable indoor air quality are to deliver good indoor air quality as efficiently as we can." – Christian Weeks
"There are ways to combine cost-effective air clean technologies with optimized ventilation rates to achieve energy and indoor air quality goals." – Christian Weeks
“Our focus at enVerid is on using sorbent filters to capture gases from indoor air, and on combining these sorbent filters with particle filters and other air cleaning technologies to address the three pillars of IAQ: gases, particles, and pathogens.” – Christian Weeks
"People become very comfortable with the idea that dilution is the solution to pollution, but at enVerid, we wanted to provide a verifiable way to ensure good indoor air quality." – Christian Weeks
"The white paper How to Achieve Sustainable IAQ: A Roadmap to Simultaneously Improving IAQ & Meeting Building Decarbonization and Climate Resiliency Goals received encouraging feedback in the hopes of improving indoor air quality while saving energy as well." – Dr. Marwa Zaatari
In this episode, Christian Weeks and Dr. Marwa Zaatari have a discussion with Erik Malmstrom about the recently released white paper, How to Achieve Sustainable IAQ: A Roadmap to Simultaneously Improving IAQ & Meeting Building Decarbonization and Climate Resiliency Goals. Not only do they discuss the steps outlined in the paper for achieving sustainable indoor air quality, but they also talk about the evolution of ASHRAE guidance, innovations and new technologies to achieve IAQ goals, and the bottom line of cost effectiveness of good and sustainable IAQ.
Details on the guests:
Christian Weeks is the CEO at enVerid Systems, Inc and is a leader in indoor air quality and energy efficiency. With over a decade of experience, Christian has a passion for helping buildings achieve their energy efficiency and indoor air quality goals through smart investments in HVAC systems and improving air cleaning technologies. Christian is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Harvard Business School.
Marwa Zaatari is partner at D ZINE Partners & co-chair of enVerid Systems Advisory Board. Dr. Zaatari is a board member at the US Green Buildings Council, an ASHRAE distinguished lecturer, and a member of several ASHRAE committees. Dr. Zaatari earned a PhD in architectural and environmental engineering from the University of Texas at Austin with a focus on the built environment and a master’s degree in engineering management from the American University of Beirut Lebanon with a focus on energy management.
Keeping air safe has never been more important. Now that we are in the next normal, it is critical that the air we breathe in shared indoor spaces is healthy and safe for continued occupancy. Are we ready to face this challenge and mitigate airborne exposure risk indoors? Welcome to Healthy Air, a podcast that talks about the future of buildings and how to keep air safe and healthy. Keep up with the latest industry trends, latest technologies, and regulatory changes with your host, Erik Malmstrom, industry experts, and the SafeTraces team here on Healthy Air.
SHOW NOTES: * Purpose Behind the Paper [2:09] * Authors and Collaborators [4:18] * The Evolution of ASHRAE Guidance [6:40] * The Framework for Sustainable IAQ [10:12] * Establishing Indoor Air Quality Goals [12:58] * Increased Efficiencies of Ventilation & Filtration [16:58] * Validating and Monitoring of IAQ [23:47] * Market Drivers Behind Sustainable IAQ [27:31] * Current Feedback on the White Paper [33:53]
RESOURCES: * enVerid Systems Website: https://enverid.com/ * Christian Weeks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-weeks-5972a21/ * D ZINE Partners Website: https://www.dzinepartners.com/ * Dr. Marwa Zaatari’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drzaatari/ * Dr. Marwa Zaatari’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/marwa_zaatari?lang=en
QUOTES: "Our goals at enVerid Systems with our recent white paper about sustainable indoor air quality are to deliver good indoor air quality as efficiently as we can." – Christian Weeks
"There are ways to combine cost-effective air clean technologies with optimized ventilation rates to achieve energy and indoor air quality goals." – Christian Weeks
“Our focus at enVerid is on using sorbent filters to capture gases from indoor air, and on combining these sorbent filters with particle filters and other air cleaning technologies to address the three pillars of IAQ: gases, particles, and pathogens.” – Christian Weeks
"People become very comfortable with the idea that dilution is the solution to pollution, but at enVerid, we wanted to provide a verifiable way to ensure good indoor air quality." – Christian Weeks
"The white paper How to Achieve Sustainable IAQ: A Roadmap to Simultaneously Improving IAQ & Meeting Building Decarbonization and Climate Resiliency Goals received encouraging feedback in the hopes of improving indoor air quality while saving energy as well." – Dr. Marwa Zaatari
In this episode, Sterling Laylock discusses the impact of indoor air quality in underserved communities, the new funding available to help them, and the history of the built environment and how it is progressing today.
Sterling Laylock is the Sustainable Development Director at Integrating Green Technologies. He is a graduate of the Florida A&M University School of Business and Industry. Sterling has been a sustainable development-minded behavioral economist since an early age. He believes in dramatically improving the built environment and its infrastructure by setting solutions in motion that can achieve unshakable results.
Keeping air safe has never been more important. Now that we are in the next normal, it is critical that the air we breathe in shared indoor spaces is healthy and safe for continued occupancy. Are we ready to face this challenge and mitigate airborne exposure risk indoors? Welcome to Healthy Air, a podcast that talks about the future of buildings and how to keep air safe and healthy. Keep up with the latest industry trends, latest technologies, and regulatory changes with your host, Erik Malmstrom, industry experts, and the SafeTraces team here on Healthy Air.
In this special edition episode, Simon Turner moderates a discussion between Sean McCrady, Dr. Elliott Horner, and Erik Malmstrom on the recent launch of UL’s Verified Ventilation and Filtration program, powered by SafeTraces–the first verification mark for verifying aerosol removal efficiency in the built environment. The panelists provide insights on how the program works, the technology behind it, and so much more.
Details on the panelists:
- Sean McCrady is the Director Assets & Sustainability, Real Estate & Properties at UL, the global science safety leader. With over 23 years of industry experience, Sean delivers on in-depth knowledge of the needs and concerns of building owners and managers to develop efficient, cost-effective solutions to indoor environmental issues.
- Dr. Elliott Horner is the Lead Scientist at UL Environment. Elliott has written numerous peer-reviewed research papers and book chapters and serves on committees for ASTM and ASHRAE. He is a member of the American Society for Microbiology and the Mycological Society of America and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI).
- Erik Malstrom is the CEO of SafeTraces, a safety technology leader focused on indoor air quality and ventilation safety. SafeTraces has developed the first commercial solution for field verifying ventilation and filtration performance for aerosol removal efficiency.
- Simon Turner is the Founder and Principal of Building Cognition, a Board Advisor to SafeTraces, and a long-term veteran in the indoor air quality field.
In this episode, Ted Bischak talks about the biggest change and the opportunity in real estate today. He shares how landlords are responsible for preparing for the re-entry into the office space and how making air quality a priority makes a difference.
Ted Bischak is a Principal and Co-Founder of Ocean West Capital Partners. He is responsible for all Property Operations including, Asset Management, Property Management, Construction Management and Physical Due Diligence, upon acquisition or disposition, of managed assets. Prior to the formation of Ocean West Capital Partners, he was Senior Vice President of Asset Management for Maguire Properties, responsible for the firm’s entire portfolio of 21 million square feet of real estate assets. Before joining Maguire Properties, Mr. Bischak served as Senior Vice President for CommonWealth Partners, where, in partnership with the CalPERS pension fund, he was responsible for all operations activities, including in-house property management, tenant improvement, operational leasing, and asset management for the $1.5 billion portfolio and directed all property-level acquisition and disposition activities. Additionally, Mr. Bischak has held senior management positions with Tooley & Company and The Irvine Company, where he was a key member of the development team on over 6 million square feet of new office development product, multiple retail and hotel projects as well as 6,000 apartment units over his 35-year career in commercial real estate.
In this episode, Dr. Nick Clements talks about how buildings need multiple modes of operation. He also shares that it is interesting to learn how humans integrate with technical systems, because we constantly interact and impact many aspects of our indoor environments.
Dr. Nick Clements earned his BS, MS, and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder while working with engineers and scientists throughout the air quality community. After completing a Postdoctoral at CU Boulder researching surge control for pandemic flu and indoor air quality, Dr. Nick relocated to Rochester, Minnesota to work at the Well Living Lab as a Senior Director. With the Well Living Lab, he helped manage sensor and building systems, perform data analysis on large sets of environmental data, plan and propose research experiments and strategy, and coordinate research investigations. At the start of this year, he returned to CU Boulder. Dr. Nick's research interests include indoor and outdoor air quality, dust emissions, hospital infection control and contamination transport, bioaerosols in the microbiome, applied statistics, and air quality data visualization.
In this episode, Nancy McClellan talks about how industrial hygiene is an art form that allows professionals to look at the larger picture of occupant health and safety. She states that industrial hygiene is well suited and well prepared for addressing pandemics. She also shares with us that as a professional she is bridging the gap between industrial hygiene know-how and controlling a biological hazard and creating tools for ABM's clients.
Nancy McClellan is the CEO of Occupational Health Management. She is an award-winning industrial hygiene and safety expert with over 25 years of broad international experience practicing, teaching, and authoring to anticipate, recognize, evaluate, control, and prevent workplace health and safety hazards in high-hazard industries. She has extensive expertise in pandemic Covid-19 response management, including facility air and surface disinfection strategies and engineering controls. Nancy has been domestically and internationally recognized for leadership service to the IH profession as the current AIHA Board of Directors Treasurer-Elect and in the recent past as a Chair and Director for the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the American Board of Industrial Hygiene, among others. She is currently Chair of the COHSE External Advisory Board, guest lecturer at the University of Michigan Graduate School of Public Health, and practicing industrial hygiene as an experienced independent consultant, subject matter expert, and sought-after international expert lecturer.
In this episode, Christian Weeks talks about buildings being a major contributor to air pollution. He addresses the need to solve this issue and speaks about cleaning and improving indoor air. He also discusses how with COVID, we've seen a heightened awareness and concern about the air quality in buildings.
Christian Weeks is the Chief Executive Officer of enVerid Systems, a pioneer and global leader in air quality and energy efficiency. Christian has over a decade of experience in energy efficiency, and indoor air quality. He is passionate about helping buildings achieve their energy efficiency and indoor air quality goals through smart investments, HVAC systems, and proven air cleaning technologies. Prior to his role at enVerid, Christian was an executive with EnerNOC, acquired by Enel X, and a management consultant with Deloitte Consulting. Christian lives in Boston and is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Business School.
In this episode, Dr. Bill Bahnfleth talks about the lessons learned from anthrax, which can also apply to COVID. Being the chair of the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force, he shares ASHRAE’s vision for IAQ through allied fields and the rapid response of their Epidemic Task Force. He also discusses how ASHRAE Standard 62.1 does not cover infection control and suggests that it could take on a change to address infectious diseases.
Dr. Bill Bahnfleth is a professor in the Department of Architectural Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University. He holds a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois and is a registered professional engineer. He is a Fellow of ASHRAE, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the International Society for Indoor Air Quality and Climate, and is the author and co-author of more than 170 journal articles and 14 books/book chapters. He has served ASHRAE in a variety of capacities such as, Student Branch Advisor, Vice President, Treasurer, 2013-14 Society President, and is currently the chair of the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force. His ASHRAE awards include the Exceptional Service Award, the Louise and Bill Holladay Distinguished Fellow Award, the E.K. Campbell Award of Merit for teaching, and the F. Paul Anderson Award–ASHRAE’s highest individual award.
In this episode, Adam talks about the clean air options for office buildings and the clean air concerns in schools. He also discusses two exciting emerging IAQ technologies, sharing his opinion on the use of bipolar ionization.
Adam Taylor is the CEO of ARM Environments and the Chief Innovation Officer for AirRated. Since completing his Mechanical Engineering degree, Adam has spent 17 years working in the HVAC industry. Early in his career, he worked as a mechanical design engineer, designing domestic heating systems and bespoke air distribution systems for high-profile projects such as venues for the 2012 London Olympic Games and preserving the Mary Rose Tudor warship. In 2016 he began promoting the adoption of the soon-to-be-released Building Bulletin (BB) 101 guidelines, a revolutionary standard designed to improve air quality and thermal comfort in schools by implementing demand-controlled heat recovery and natural ventilation solutions. Starting in 2018, Adam has been working internationally in the emerging field of indoor air cleaning technologies.
In this episode, Paul Scialla talks about the value proposition of real estate and health. He discusses the best IAQ technology for healthy classrooms and the IAQ factors in overall health and wellness. He also speaks about wellness as a defined category in real estate.
Paul is the Founder and CEO of Delos, a company merging the world’s largest asset class – real estate – with the world’s fastest growing industry – wellness. After 18 years on Wall Street, including 10 years at Goldman Sachs as a Partner, Paul Scialla’s interest in sustainability and altruistic capitalism led him to found Delos. Since the company’s inception, Paul has become a leading voice in the wellness and sustainability movements, serving as a keynote speaker at prominent green building, real estate, and technology forums and conferences around the world. Paul is also the Founder of the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), which administers the WELL Building Standard globally to improve human health and wellbeing through the built environment, a member of the Board of Directors for the Chopra Foundation, and a founding board member of the JUST Capital Foundation. Paul graduated from New York University with a degree in finance and currently resides in New York City.
In this episode, Loren Witkin talks about pandemic and post-pandemic IAQ issues. He discusses the tension among two big themes in the built environment, how they respond to wildfire-related challenges, and how to prevent indoor hazards.
Loren is the CEO of Citadel EHS and founded the company with the goal of creating an employee- and client-focused consulting firm that fused a thorough understanding of the built environment within the fields of environmental, health, and safety (EHS). As part of his vision to bring all employees into ownership roles, Loren drove the formation of the firm’s ESOP in 2003 while simultaneously overseeing all phases of corporate development, client management, and complex project management across multiple disciplines. A creative and focused leader, Loren has 30+ years of experience in the EHS industry, both in the public and private sectors, with numerous state, federal, and industry accreditations and certifications to his name. During his career, Loren has served as a panel member, speaker, and presenter on various EHS matters to universities, public agencies, cities, school districts, and industry conferences nationwide. He held tenure at UCLA as one of the first asbestos/lead program managers in California, where he developed policies relating to the identification and remediation of environmental contaminants for 17+ million square feet of property. He is also a founding corporate member of UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, a member of the Los Angeles Downtown Breakfast Club, and of the Urban Land Institute.
In this episode, Ronald Ro talks about healthy energy-optimized homes and the importance of sharing information. He discusses the human component of sensors and data resources. He also shares how they help consumers and business users understand their air quality score and make good decisions to make their spaces healthier.
Ronald Ro is the Chief Commercial Officer and Co-founder of Awair. He is passionate about building products that inspire. After serving his career as an Engineer at the Boeing Company, Ron worked for Samsung's Consumer Electronics Division and its Corporate Strategy Office for four years, leading the company's new business and technology commercialization efforts. Ron then joined Cisco’s Emerging Technology Group and was instrumental in launching, building, and scaling new products. He holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, a master's degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering, and an MBA from the University of Michigan.
In this episode, Jacob talks about applying control mechanisms in a tightly controlled environment and industrial hygiene technology innovation. He also discusses how the world has changed as a result of the pandemic and what to look for when returning to the office.
Jacob Persky is the principal and co-founder at RHP Risk Management. He is an environmental consultant with 20 years of experience as an industrial hygienist. He considers himself to be an exposure scientist and specializes in helping clients to contextually understand and manage health risks from exposures to hazardous substances. Jacob holds a Master of Public Health degree from Benedictine University and a BS degree in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois. He is a board certified industrial Hygienist. His work has taken him to many diverse work settings in the fields of semiconductor manufacturing, automotive manufacturing, railroading, healthcare, facilities management, and oil and gas, and in interesting locations throughout the US and abroad to Mexico, Australia, Brazil, and Bolivia.
In this episode, Marwa talks about the innovation in air quality and how it took a pandemic to start discussions about indoor air quality. She also discusses the struggle to fix air quality in schools and how parents need to hold schools accountable. Marwa encourages listeners to challenge their schools and ask them about ventilation, filtration, and air cleaning.
Dr. Marwa Zaatari is Chief Science Officer at D ZINE Partners and Co-chair of enVerid Systems’ advisory board. She leads the research and development of “Air as a Service” around heat exchanger coils, ventilation, filtration, and indoor air quality measurements. Her work continues to advance building science methods and assessing performance-based procedures to design and operate buildings to optimize energy and people efficiency. Zaatari has extensive experience in quantifying the transport of indoor air pollutants, building energy environmental management, and assessing performance-based procedures of HVAC ventilation and air cleaning. Zaatari earned a Ph.D. in Architectural and Environmental Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin with a focus on the built environment and a Master's degree in Engineering Management from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, with a focus on energy management. Zaatari is a board member at the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and has been an ASHRAE distinguished lecturer and a member of several ASHRAE Committees, including the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force and a voting member of Standard 62.1.
In this episode, Paul talks about taking the plunge into entrepreneurship and gives advice on selecting an air cleaning system. He also speaks about upgrading aging HVAC systems and choosing the right level of coverage. Lastly, he discusses Omni CleanAir’s two business segments, their response to COVID, and how their culture is built on learning.
Paul de la Port is the President of Omni CleanAir. Since 1988, their solutions have been deployed to high-stakes applications, keeping people safe from some of the most dangerous airborne pollutants and pathogens. Omni CleanAir’s range of industrial-grade air purification solutions have resulted in 10s of 1000s of installs in the US and abroad. They are used in healthcare facilities for infection control, facilities affected by wildfires, for nuclear facility maintenance and decommissioning, and for hazardous environmental remediation and abatement. He's held executive roles with companies including Danaher, GE, and Dresser. His last corporate role was President of Fluke's Industrial and Digital Systems businesses. Paul is passionate about leading breakthrough innovation and strategic transformations, hands-on product leadership, and commercial execution.
In this episode, Tyler Smith shares the services Johnson Controls offer and the benefits of operating a healthy building. He talks about Johnson Controls’ overall business unit and offerings compared to other healthy buildings. Lastly, he discusses how they help deliver on the clean air delivery rate and infection control objectives, and how Johnson Controls explains ROI to their customers.
Tyler Smith is the Executive Director of Healthy Buildings at Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings. Tyler has spent over 15 years with Johnson Controls and held roles focused on leveraging building management systems and HVAC equipment to drive important outcomes such as improvements, energy efficiency, and indoor air quality. From 2018 to 2020, Tyler led Johnson Controls' Critical Environments business unit, which designs and manufactures systems for critical spaces, such as hospitals and laboratories. Since Spring 2020, Tyler has been instrumental in leading Johnson Controls’ COVID-19 response with a focus on helping our customers open and operate healthy buildings.
In this episode, Vicki Worden talks about one of Green Building Initiative's signature programs, the Green Globes certification. She explains how it stands apart from other building certification programs, its cost, and its scoring system. She also shares how health and wellness are incorporated in what GBI offers and how they helped clients in response to the pandemic.
Vicki Worden is the President and CEO of the Green Building Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making buildings healthy places to live and work while reducing their impacts on the environment. GBI makes aspirational goals achievable through user-friendly tools built upon comprehensive standards and supported by outstanding staff and expert assessors. GBI has third-party certified 1000s of buildings across North America. Its Green Globes certification and Guiding Principles Compliance verification program support every building situation, from individual buildings with sole owners to some of the largest corporate and government portfolio owners in the world, including the Department of Defense in both the US and Canada.
In this episode, Sean McCrady talks about the history and future of healthy buildings, including a new Verified Healthy Building Mark.
Sean is the Director of Assets and Sustainability, Real Estate & Properties at UL. Sean is a certified environmental infection control consultant, certified microbial consultant, certified indoor environmental consultant, and a LEED and WELL accredited professional, and also a Fitwel Ambassador. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a BS in environmental science.
In this episode, Larry Sloan talks about industrial hygiene and how the pandemic is elevating the importance of occupational health and safety.
Larry stepped into his role as CEO at the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) in October of 2016. Prior to this, he served as CEO for seven years at SOCMA, a trade association representing the interest of the US specialty chemical industry, where he started his nonprofit career at the Adhesive and Sealant Council, a trade association representing adhesive and sealant manufacturers. He was promoted to his first CEO role there in January of 2005.
Larry began his career as a chemical engineer at Air Products and later worked for Nalco Chemical Company in marketing, manufacturing, and sales capacities. He earned a BS degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and later graduated from Northwestern Kellogg's Graduate School of Management where he earned his MBA.
In this episode, Aaron Lapsley talks about how the role of buildings is changing - the purpose they serve, the way that both owners and occupants view them, and what this means for the built environment industry as a whole.
Aaron works with designers, developers, owners, and operators of real estate to make the most out of technologies in and around their facilities. He helps them improve facility user experience, occupant health and safety, and building performance using data and digital solutions.
He is the Principal and Founder of System2 Consulting and worked previously as the Head of Digital Buildings Practice, Global Technology & Data Solutions at Cushman & Wakefield. His career includes work at Switch Automation, GPG Advisors, and Deloitte.
He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma.
Keeping air safe has never been more important. Now that we are in the next normal, it is critical that the air we breathe in shared indoor spaces is healthy and safe for continued occupancy. Are we ready to face this challenge and mitigate airborne exposure risk indoors? Welcome to Healthy Air, a podcast that talks about the future of buildings and how to keep air safe and healthy. Keep up with the latest industry trends, latest technologies, and regulatory changes with your host, Erik Malmstrom, industry experts, and the SafeTraces team here on Healthy Air.
SHOW NOTES: * An overview of Aaron’s background [1:15] * How Aaron got started in building design [2:00] * How Aaron’s multi-faceted background is affecting his view on the industry [5:36] * How split incentives are affecting buildings [9:37] * An overview of LEED and Reset accreditation [14:47] * Reducing the carbon footprint of buildings [21:34] * What trends in buildings will outlast the pandemic [25:39] * Where technology and data intersect with buildings [31:12] * The technologies about which Aaron is most excited [36:24] * What technologies Aaron believes will win over the next 20 years in buildings [42:15] * Aaron’s information diet and recommended resources [45:15]
RESOURCES: * Aaron’s company, System2 Consulting: http://www.system2consulting.com * Aaron’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronlapsley/
QUOTES: "You can't sustainably run a large commercial building without having a management team that is sustainability-focused and data-enabled."
"I think the pandemic has made the invisible a bit more visible for people that have been paying attention."
"Buildings need to work with reason and purpose. Most of the services within a building are technology-enabled in some capacity and affect technology in a serious way."
"Many buildings aren't helping the people that enter, whether it's a bad user experience, making them sick or unhealthy, or not being optimally set up to prevent disease transmission."
"The world is starting to move towards paying attention to real estate, particularly office buildings as a product."
"One of the challenges with LEED is it's just so disconnected from what actually happens in the real world."
“I have a home monitor and look at it constantly. It's so interesting to see you indoor air quality data and understand the effect your toaster has on your particulate matter.”
“You have to think through what the building needs to do and how it needs to actually function and operate in a better way. Start with the things people are annoyed with.”
“It's more than how the building looks or what the cash flow statement is for the building. It's about how the building actually functions and provides services for people.”
“A focus on sustainability, operational efficiency, health, wellness, and safety creates a better user experience that drives people to be excited about the built environment.”
In this episode, Simon Turner shares the biggest changes he's seen throughout his career, as he has worked to improve impact of buildings on human cognition and health. Simon’s interest for the past 30 years has been the impact of buildings and their features on human cognition and health. He served as the CEO of Healthy Buildings International - a company he grew and sold after 32 years in the industry - as well as his current role as Building Cognition, where he helps CEOs and real estate executives find ways to make their buildings more productive. Simon has credentials in LEED AP and WELL AP, holds an HND in Applied Biology from Nottingham City University, and was recently honored as a Life Member of the Building Owners and Managers Association. Keeping air safe has never been more important. Now that we are in the next normal, it is critical that the air we breathe in shared indoor spaces is healthy and safe for continued occupancy. Are we ready to face this challenge and mitigate airborne exposure risk indoors? Welcome to Healthy Air, a podcast that talks about the future of buildings and how to keep air safe and healthy. Keep up with the latest industry trends, latest technologies, and regulatory changes with your host, Erik Malmstrom, industry experts, and the SafeTraces team here on Healthy Air. SHOW NOTES: * An overview of Simon's background [1:00] * How Simon got started in the indoor air quality industry [1:42] * A history of how the awareness around this industry started [3:54] * How the pandemic has affected the indoor air quality industry [8:30] * Commercial Real Estate and how the industry is responding to the pandemic [11:45] * Why ventilation is so important in mitigating risk [14:46] * The dollars and cents of indoor air quality [20:07] * How are building owners validating how well a building is ventilated [22:20] * The implications of building indoor air quality for public health [24:55] * Looking back at the last 30 years, what changes can we anticipate in the next 10 years [30:02] * What resources Simon uses to stay up to speed in his own knowledge [33:30] * How listeners can follow Simon [35:34]
QUOTES:
- "This pandemic blindsided a lot of people. It just came out of the blue and now buildings are empty, employees aren't coming to work and everything changed boom, overnight."
- "Expecting regulators to pick up on all the nuances quickly, when they were under competing pressure from different elements of society to get it right, must have been bewildering."
- "Some policymaking left me bewildered that we'd limit exposure to outdoor air and ask people to stay indoors when it was clear the best-ventilated spaces were the safest spaces."
- "Personally, I think the commercial real estate industry will never be the same again. Everything has changed."
- "Many buildings are much better ventilated than people's own homes. Early in this pandemic I learned that very few people realized how badly ventilated their own homes were."
- "When ventilation rates doubled, large increases were seen in people's ability to process information, manage risk, make executive decisions, and execute higher-order mental processes."
- "Around the country, depending on climate, it's estimated it would cost between $14 and $40 per person per year to double ventilation rates."
- "A building's selling points should be less focused on whether or not it has a prestigious address, and more focused on its ability to improve the productivity of the people who work there."
- "The commercial real estate industry in general needs to listen very carefully to what it's tenant employers that rent space and buildings want."