In a recent survey by Honeywell, healthier buildings are a must for going back to work after a pandemic.
The effects of COVID-19 have been far-reaching, including changing the way people view work and the buildings they work within. In a recent study by Honeywell, the company discovered that right behind safety and security as top concerns, healthier buildings ranked a high second.
“A notable transformation driven by the COVID-19 pandemic is prompting U.S. facility leaders to reconsider their operational strategies and invest in smarter, healthier technologies,” said Vimal Kapur, president and chief executive officer, Honeywell Building Technologies. “As occupants become more aware of how the buildings they use for work, school and care can affect their well-being, we expect them to push building owners and operators to implement new procedures with efficient, sustainable solutions that better support occupants’ safety, comfort and enhance their experiences, not only for the immediate return to office but for the long term as well.”
This survey highlights a changing perspective that businesses need to consider, especially when finding the right people and retaining them is often a challenge. Along with this survey, other groups are promoting a move toward healthier buildings, which is possible even in older buildings thanks to technologies —including artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), BIM and digital twins —that enable smart buildings for enhanced monitoring, as well as new technologies on the horizon that may make retrofitting easier and more budget-friendly.
Survey Highlights
As part of Honeywell’s Building Trends series for 2021, the first survey, “Rethinking Buildings Post-COVID-19,” included facility managers from the United States, Germany, China and Saudi Arabia. The survey included various industries, such as education, data centers and commercial real estate industries. The main goal was to determine managers’ top concerns for building trends in the wake of COVID-19.
When looking at the U.S. data, 75 percent of facility managers stated that the pandemic has “caused them to permanently rethink how their facility operates.” The survey also indicates that a majority of respondents, 62 percent, have gained a growing interest in investing in smart solutions to enable enhanced air quality, sustainability and other human-focused changes, such as contactless building access and smart parking.
According to Honeywell, additional themes emerging from the survey include:
- The pandemic continues to be a hot topic with 22 percent ranking pandemic-related issues as a top concern.
- Remote facility management is a growing must-have, with 93 percent mentioning its importance, and 67 percent indicated a willingness to invest in solutions such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.
- While facility managers are ready for change, their buildings aren’t there yet. 57 percent indicated that their current systems are not equipped with air quality solutions, 66 percent lack integrated lighting for enhanced productivity and 73 percent have no technologies in place for real-time building information.
Considering that Honeywell Healthy Buildings launched an integrated set of solutions to enhance building environments back in May 2020, these survey results are an indication that the company has already been looking forward. Luckily, they aren’t the only ones that are working toward clean, safe and healthy operations.
Growing Push for Healthy Buildings
In July, the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Consultative Council released its 2020 Moving Forward Report. The report focused on three components necessary for healthy buildings to promote public health: indoor environmental quality, design in promoting health and knowledge transfer.
“Ensuring that the spaces where we live and work are healthy and safe for continued occupancy is critical to overcoming the pandemic,” said Lakisha A. Woods, CAE, President and CEO of NIBS. “This is a fundamental pillar of public health and community resilience. The concept of healthy buildings goes well beyond continual sanitation of a building’s indoor environment to eliminate pathogens.”
The council’s report offers recommendations to the president and policymakers for enhancing the nation’s infrastructure and buildings. Three of the recommendations were:
- Encouraging relevant federal agencies to invest in research on the impacts of indoor environmental quality and resilience on health and productivity, especially research on retrofitting existing structures to improve air quality.
- Agencies should focus on identifying ways to improve building codes and other criteria for enhanced building performance, including a forward-thinking approach to handle future public health disruptions.
- Based on input from community organizations, the government and specific agencies should consider enacting policies, including incentive programs, to encourage a higher investment in healthy buildings, especially in disadvantaged communities.
Solutions for Existing Structures
What makes a healthy building? According to the Sustainable Energy Fund, there are nine pillars related to a healthy building: ventilation, air quality, thermal health, moisture, dust and pests, safety and security, water quality, noise, and lighting and views. Companies like Honeywell have been hard at work developing integrated systems to help enhance all of those categories.
“Honeywell has developed outcome-based solutions that allow building owners to transparently address how they limit exposure to and the spread of viruses while supporting their business continuity needs in an uncertain environment,” Kapur said. “We’re giving them the data they need to confidently reassure their employees to accelerate their business operations. Returning to work after a pandemic will not be returning to business as usual. Occupants will want credible information and increased visibility into how building technology is protecting their health and what has been done to ensure that the buildings they enter are safe.”
Taking a holistic approach, these solutions offer a complete view of a building’s health based on the nine pillars above, as well as incorporate personal protective equipment analytics, thermal screening, social distancing and sanitation—all of which have taken center stage since the pandemic started.
While Honeywell’s Healthy Buildings solutions continue to grow, air quality and security have been a focus. The company’s air quality package enables managing and control of essential parameters with efficiency. It offers real-time insight on contamination risks, manages humidity and temperature, provides air filtration, and gauges environmental and occupancy parameters.
According to Honeywell, the safety and security package features hardware and software, including sensor technology and video analytics, that can help building owners minimize risk by monitoring, detecting and responding to potential issues using integrated security tools. This may include managing people flow, social distancing compliance, contact tracing and mask detection.
The company continues to work with others to develop new solutions for different needs. It recently launched electronic air cleaners and options for using UVC, which has been a growing trend in public areas for fighting bacteria, pollutants and other contaminants.
Conclusion
While some businesses may have already welcomed workers back, others are still preparing for that day to come. Whichever situation a business is in, a building is no longer just a building. As public health has become an ever-present priority, ensuring that the places people go provide a safe, clean environment is a must-do instead of a lower priority than it may have once been. From humidity sensors to temperature control to fresh air flow and beyond, taking steps to enhance the environment will be key for moving forward and better ensuring a business’ success.
