Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

How does IAQ affect perceptions of our facilities?

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) directly relates to facility health and cleanliness, so when IAQ suffers, the general perception of your institution is also at risk.

For example, 60 percent of people said they would inspect a school’s restroom quality before making the decision to enroll, according to a 2015 survey from Cascades Tissue Group. In bathrooms and other common areas, the cleanliness of air is integral to our perceptions. Germs, volatile organic compounds and odors not only make environments unpleasant, but also make them less healthy.

The memory of something as simple as walking into a room where the air feels stale or makes you drowsy sticks with you. Now, imagine losing productivity every day because your learning environment causes symptoms such as nausea, dizziness and eye irritation. In many facilities, in which air can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, this is a reality.

Air quality also affects how seasonal illnesses, such as the flu, can rapidly spread around a campus. Dormitories, classrooms, health centers and offices all contain common areas that can be contaminated by airborne germs from a single cough or sneeze. Germs can then remain airborne for extended periods of time and travel remarkably far distances (sometimes more than 200 feet). Sick students and staff lead to reduced productivity and increased absenteeism, which in turn negatively affects perception.

Air purification, along with source control and increased ventilation, is integral to improving IAQ in these facilities and promoting healthier and cleaner campuses.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Jeff Dryfhout, global marketing director for AeraMax Professional, champions efforts to improve indoor air quality within organizations as the next frontier in well being.

Featured

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • Texas A&M Opens First Building at Fort Worth Campus, Breaks Ground on Research Facility

    The Texas A&M University System marked a major milestone in the development of its Fort Worth campus by opening its first completed academic building and breaking ground on a second facility designed to expand research and industry collaboration.

  • Minnesota District Converts Middle School into Community Hub

    White Bear Lake Area Schools in White Bear Lake, Minn., recently announced the end of a major renovation project that converted a former middle school into a new centralized district and community hub, according to a news release.