In this article, Manish Kumar outlines Schneider Electric’s proposed three steps to improve building health, provides a preview of key points from a recent white paper, including the business benefits of healthy buildings and study findings.
February 16th, 2021
Schneider Electric have a vision for Buildings of the Future to be sustainable, hyper-efficient, resilient, and people-centric. This last point includes ensuring that buildings are safe and healthy for occupants. In support of this vision, Schneider Electric recently partnered with leading infrastructure consulting firm AECOM on a global study of 21 office buildings.
Healthy buildings encompass all facets of human health including physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, occupational, environmental, and social well-being. Building owners or operators that embrace this holistic definition benefit not only their building occupants, but also their company’s profit and goodwill.
Over the past few decades, hundreds of studies have quantified the impact of certain factors on occupant health, mood, absenteeism, alertness, etc. There’s also competitive pressure from real estate companies vying for tenants who value healthy buildings and are willing to pay a premium for them. There is an opportunity for building owners to have their buildings certified for health and well-being.
Results of Schneider Electric’s global study
In order to improve human health and, in turn, performance, we need to define the six factors that affect it in the built environment: carbon dioxide, temperature, humidity, volatile organic compounds (VOCs, e.g. from cleaners), noise, and lighting.
Since December 2018, we implemented pilot studies across 21 different buildings throughout the globe, starting with an AECOM office building. The team outfitted the buildings with a family of sensors to measure these six factors, with each pilot running over a course of four weeks. At a high level, the study revealed these four findings:
With a better understanding of these factors, stakeholders are better prepared to uncover the health potential of their building. Here is a brief summary of the three steps they can take to improve occupant experience and performance:
To learn more about this topic, download Schneider Electric’s white paper “Ensuring Occupant Health: Key Findings and Insights from Global Study of 21 Office Buildings.” Also, visit the Schneider Electric Buildings Of The Future page to learn about the suite of solutions that can support your healthy building initiatives.
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