Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Schools In Focus: Indoor Air Quality

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 01/15/21

Schools In Focus is a podcast dedicated to the design, planning and management of educational facilities and campuses. Listen in as we chat with industry experts, facility managers, architects, security and safety professionals, and other thought leaders. Catch up on previous episodes here.

Today's episode is on indoor air quality in classrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schools In Focus, Episode 10: Indoor Air Quality

Schools In Focus podcast logo and Mike Wolf and Ron Wendorski

COVID-19 continues to be a health risk to in-person learning at schools and universities. While we wait for more and more people to get vaccinated to obtain herd immunity, schools still need to prioritize clean and safe facilities for students, teachers, and staff. One way schools and universities can mitigate the COVID-19 risk is to utilize their HVAC systems to circulate clean fresh air.

In this episode, I spoke with Mike Wolf, Director of Regulatory Affairs, and Ron Wendorski, Director of the Bernard A. Greenheck Education Center from Greenheck, a HVAC equipment manufacturer, to talk about indoor air quality in classrooms. They explain how foundational technologies like increased air ventilation and filtration can help reduce the spread of COVID-19. They also explain how additive technologies like ultraviolet technology and bipolar ionization can help.

We also discuss cost-effective ways to improve HVAC systems and the long-term benefits of indoor air quality.

“It’s not a one-size fits all fix here,” Wolf explains in the episode. “There’s going to be different size of facilities, different HVAC systems in different buildings, maybe even within the same building. And in order to come up with the best solution, there’s not going to be a one silver bullet, most cost-effective solution that typically could be used. And the listeners are going to have to understand all these different options and explore what’s going be the best solution for their particular application.”

Listen in to learn more about indoor air quality.

Where to Listen

Schools In Focus is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. Subscribe today, or listen below!

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Photo courtesy of Kraus-Anderson

    Minnesota District Completes $49.7M Addition, Renovation Project

    St. Paul Public Schools in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $49.7-million addition and remodeling project at two district schools, according to a news release.

  • Doerr School of Sustainability Accelerator

    From Concrete Warehouse to Innovation Hub: Accelerating Sustainability at Stanford

    The transformation of a once windowless, concrete publishing warehouse into a sun-drenched center for global innovation began with a single, fundamental challenge: how to turn an industrial storage shell into a space built for human connection.

  • New Arizona Fine Arts School Reaches Construction Milestone

    Construction of the new Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater in Litchfield Park, Ariz., recently hit a significant milestone, according to a news release. The Agua Fria High School District held a beam-signing ceremony to celebrate the building’s topping out, or the placement of its last structural beam.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.