Indoor Air Quality
“Indoor air quality” refers to how clean the air in a building is.
As buildings become more airtight and energy efficient, actively managing indoor air quality becomes more important. Some air pollutants, like carbon monoxide, are highly dangerous. Others, like volatile organic compounds, can cause short-term health problems as well as chronic ones.
Moisture management, adequate ventilation, and selection of low-VOC products are some of the best ways to ensure good IAQ.
Indoor Air Quality
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Commercial Kitchens: Cooking Up Green Opportunities
Feature Article
Commercial kitchens run energy- and water-intensive equipment for long hours, sometimes even when not in use. While the challenges of saving water and energy in commercial kitchens are daunting, they're not insurmountable. Careful equipment selection and a commitment to conscientious kitchen practices can dramatically cut down on waste-and utility bills.
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Design for Adaptation: Living in a Climate-Changing World
Feature Article
Even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases tomorrow, rising global temperatures would still bring major changes to the climate system and our way of life. This article offers solutions for designing buildings that not only mitigate our impact on the global climate, but also adapt to the changes that are coming-and those that are already here.
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Bringing Nature Indoors: The Myths and Realities of Plants in Buildings
Feature Article
Some proponents of indoor plants promise that they will clean the air and promote occupant health and productivity. But will they? Scientific backing for these claims is still being developed, but some of the results are promising.
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Ductless Mini-Splits and Their Kin: The Revolution in Variable-Refrigerant-Flow Air Conditioning
Feature Article
Ductless split systems using heat pumps and variable refrigerant flow offer an energy-efficient alternative to conventional heating and air-conditioning systems for a variety of settings, from homes to hotels and schools. Three major manufacturers-Daikin, Mitsubishi, and Sanyo-offer the greatest variety of products.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Laminate Flooring: Worth a Second Look?
Product Review
Laminate flooring offers recycled content and low emissions in an economical, low-maintenance product that has overcome aesthetic and performance challenges.
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Underfloor Air: Rising Above a Checkered Past
Product Review
With attention to building science, UFAD may offer greater comfort and better energy performance than other systems.
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Cost-Effective Analog-to-Digital Thermostat Retrofits
Product Review
Switching to digital thermostats in existing buildings can be expensive and disruptive. Cypress Envirosystems offers a simple analog-to-digital solution.
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Air Renew Wallboard Absorbs Formaldehyde from Indoor Air
Product Review
Using a common building product to clean indoor air? AirRenew drywall claims to improve indoor air quality by absorbing formaldehyde and trapping it chemically in the gypsum core.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Air Filtration in Schools May Improve Test Scores
News Brief
Students with cleaner indoor air significantly out-performed their peers in a recent study.
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Smog Outdoors Saps Worker Productivity Indoors
News Brief
75% of small particulates in outdoor air pollution come indoors and cause workers to be less productive, putting a $2 billion dent in China’s service sector.
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Air in Fitness Centers Laden with Pollutants, Study Finds
News Analysis
Lack of ventilation and elevated levels of VOCs are common problems in gyms, according to European research, and pools have issues too.
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Tuning Today’s Building Designs to Tomorrow’s Climate
News Analysis
A new modeling tool, WeatherShift, helps designers see how designs today can account for comfort, resilience, and energy needs decades down the line.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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