As we move closer to returning to our offices on a regular basis, tenants are asking building owners and operators, “Are these spaces safe?”, “Are they healthy?” While buildings are designed to meet air quality standards, and organizations, such as The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and International WELL Building Institute publish standards and guidelines around air quality, the truth is, maintaining optimal air quality across a multi-hundred-thousand-square-foot commercial property is complex. Occasionally, due to a variety of environmental influences (e.g., outdoor pollution, construction, weather anomalies, or something as simple as an overcrowded room), air quality can temporarily stray outside of those published standards, leaving owners and operators to find more comprehensive solutions for building health. Thankfully, at Cohesion, we are continually expanding our toolset for monitoring and optimizing indoor air quality (IAQ).
Room-level solutions, such as air purifiers or a localized airflow increases, are effective for mitigating isolated air quality issues. But what happens when there is an unhealthy air issue at the building level? Relying too greatly on air flow solutions at the room level can lead to comfort issues for tenants while not significantly improving air quality. Conversely, if solutions focus exclusively on air flow at the building or AHU (Air Handling Unit) level, they cannot guarantee that fresh air gets to the individual space(s) where it may be needed, and it almost certainly guarantees increased energy usage. We did mention this was complicated, right?
Cohesion provides an industry-leading indoor air quality solution for commercial buildings that couples occupancy and IAQ sensor data with new building-level HVAC control of fan-powered boxes (FPB), variable air volume (VAV) systems, and air-handling units (AHUs) to optimize indoor air quality while balancing, tenant comfort and energy usage.
With our platform, building managers can monitor real-time air quality based on various pollutants including total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), particulate matter, and carbon dioxide (CO2). Should any of those measures rise above acceptable levels, our platform adjusts air flow to optimize indoor air quality and tenant comfort through direct integrations to your BAS/BMS system. That all means localized air flow increases for isolated pollutants with system-wide action only when necessary. And, as always, the Cohesion mobile application places the reassurance of air quality levels directly in the hands of occupants.
Supported by our WELL-certified experts, Cohesion’s comprehensive IAQ program creates smarter, greener, and healthier buildings.
