Indoor mould occurs when relative humidity is consistently over 80% and an indoor wall is cold enough to cause condensation. Damp is prevented by a combination of heating, insulation or ventilation, all of which incur costs. Damp and mould are most often found in older buildings with poor insulation.
The atBOS sensor network comprehensively monitors a building’s indoor environment and energy use. The data facilitates building management and can also be used in various independently assessed certifications relevant to its environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) rating. This article introduces the main residential and non-residential certifications used in Britain.
Air quality is impacted by carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides and humidity. Good air quality management has many benefits:
Recommendations for promoting workplace health and wellbeing often include monitoring the indoor environment using wearable sensors. Our view is that a fixed sensor network is a better option as it records more parameters, does not depend on who is wearing what sensor and is less intrusive.
The winter vomiting bug is caused by the norovirus which spreads rapidly through aerosols and surfaces, survives for days or weeks between human hosts and is resistant to ammonia and alcohol-based cleaning products. We suggest that ultraviolet could be used to control its spread, especially public toilets and restaurants.
Modernist architecture in the early 20th century adopted the Licht und Luft principle, maximising light and ventilation to combat tuberculosis. Amid another airborne disease pandemic, the same principles apply: the ultraviolet component of sunlight kills viruses and good ventilation is an established approach to limit airborne transmission.
The modern urban environment is ideal for the transmission of respiratory viruses, which is why the common cold spreads so fast. COVID-19 spreads using the same mechanisms but is far more serious because it can cause pneumonia and long-term illnesses. Developing ways to limit the spread of viruses in the built environment will require an understanding of how they infect.
The urban environment facilitates respiratory virus transmission. COVID-19 is now the major threat but the common cold has long had a serious impact on wellbeing, personal income and the economy. The factors by which urban living aids virus transmission are known but little attempt has been made to address them.