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Improving health and safety while increasing occupant comfort and confidence should be built into future tall buildings.
Writing for a Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) publication, Mehdi Jalayerian makes a bold prediction about the future of high-rise structures, saying “The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on building design and strategy will be as revolutionary as the rise of the first skyscraper.”
Jalayerian, along with Tyler Jensen and Ken Griffin, make their case in a recent issue of the CTBUH Journal. In “Post-Pandemic HVAC Systems Strategies For High-Rise Office Buildings,” the team outlines current guidelines and future best practices to make buildings healthier and safer.
The in-depth feature examines:
- Current guidelines and disease mitigation strategies, including recommendations from the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
- Retrofitting opportunities and MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) filter comparisons
- Anti-pathogen technologies, including Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) and Bipolar Ionization (BPI), for both new construction and retrofit applications
- Changes ahead for air-handling systems and improved airflow in spaces
- Intelligent indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring
The feature concludes that buildings integrating flexibility into base systems while prioritizing health, wellness, indoor air quality, and sustainability will be better prepared to respond to future pandemics and unknown needs. Such buildings will also be well-positioned to attract and retain premier office tenants.
Reach out to Mehdi, Tyler, or Ken if you would like further assistance in better understanding how to optimize HVAC system configurations and air distribution methods in high-rise offices.
