Where’s the Bad Air? Locating Pollutants in Your Real Estate
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a critical yet easily overlooked factor in commercial real estate. As a building owner, poor quality IAQ can impact your tenants’ health, well-being, productivity, and property value.
With a growing focus on employee welfare, clean indoor air is becoming more critical for building owners, facility managers, and tenants.
This article explores common pollutants in “bad air” and offers techniques for locating and resolving their harmful impact.
Common sources of indoor air pollutants
Indoor air pollutants can originate from several sources within commercial buildings. Here are some of the most common:
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emit from paints, carpets, adhesives, furniture, and other building materials.
- Poorly maintained HVAC systems can distribute pollutants throughout a building.
- Printers, photocopies, and other office equipment release particulate matter and ozone.
- Cleaning products, food, and toiletries can increase pollutants in occupied areas.
- Outdoor pollutants, such as traffic or industrial emissions, can enter commercial spaces through vents and open windows
- Poorly ventilated and maintained areas, such as bathrooms, kitchens, attics, and basements, are breeding grounds for bacteria, dust mites, and mould.
Technologies for locating pollutants
Rapid technological advances have made it easier to identify and track indoor pollutants.
These include:
- Internet of Things (IoT) devices provide continuous monitoring of IAQ. The real-time data gathered can be integrated with building management systems (BMS) to adjust settings and optimise air quality autonomously without human intervention.
- Portable air quality monitors can be easily used for spot-checks in different areas to check for specific pollutants
- Trained technicians can conduct comprehensive air quality assessments with specialised equipment that identifies pollutant sources accurately.
- Advanced smart sensors integrated into HVAC systems detect and report on air quality issues in real-time, offering instant insights and highlighting potential problems.
The ‘bad’ areas in commercial real estate
Some areas of your real estate buildings will have worse air quality issues than others. Knowing this in advance can help you locate likely black spots and mitigate problems effectively.
For example, high-traffic zones, such as entrances and exits, lobbies, and communal areas, can accumulate pollutants from occupants, food storage and preparation, and external sources. Meanwhile, enclosed spaces such as conference rooms and small offices may have poor ventilation, leading to the building up of CO2 and other pollutants.
Similarly, particulate matter and VOCs often build up in printing and copy rooms, while basements and storage areas frequently lack ventilation. This can lead to mould appearing, thanks to a build-up of moisture.
How to mitigate air pollution
Understanding how to mitigate air pollution makes a massive difference for your tenants, potentially leading to prosperous long-term business relationships.
Following these steps can improve air quality:
- Implement a commercial air filtration system, such as a high-quality HEPA filter
- Ensure your building has adequate fresh air intake and proper air circulation. You may wish to upgrade HVAC systems and implement demand-controlled ventilation
- Introduce a regular maintenance schedule to keep HVAC systems clean. This includes regularly changing filters
- Utilise low-emission building materials and furnishings to reduce VOCs
- Use environmentally friendly cleaning products and methods to reduce harmful chemical usage indoors
- Offer tenants and occupants guidelines on maintaining good IAQ
- Conduct regular air quality assessments and act decisively to resolve issues
- Install standalone air purifiers in high-risk areas
Clean air in commercial real estate: The business case
Investing in your commercial real estate’s IAQ is no longer optional; it’s a smart business sense that benefits your tenants and you over the long term.
Perhaps most compelling is that buildings with high-quality air command higher rents and attract more reliable and high-worth tenants. As awareness around air quality grows, IAQ is becoming increasingly important to property valuations.
In addition, healthier indoor environments lead to higher productivity, lower absenteeism, and improved cognition among occupants. These factors lead to tenant satisfaction and benefit landlords with longer lease terms, reduced tenant turnover and unoccupied space.
This competitive market edge can help you attract high-quality, health-conscious tenants that align with your values.
Managing your IAQ also helps avoid fines and legal issues related to poor indoor environmental standards while benefiting from energy savings, improved sustainability, and enhanced building envelopes.
Conclusion
Locating and addressing sources of indoor air pollution is essential for maintaining healthy, efficient commercial real estate properties. This drives enormous benefits both to building owners and tenants. In addition to a well-motivated and productive workforce, tenant satisfaction leads to long-term lease agreements with owners who benefit from more valuable properties.
As commercial real estate evolves in the coming years, IAQ is likely to become increasingly important in tenant decision-making. As a result, prioritising clean indoor air today can help you gain a significant competitive advantage when it comes to attracting high-quality, high-value tenants with similar values.
If you’d like to learn how we can help you optimise your IAQ and create profitable, long-term tenant relationships, contact us today for a free evaluation.