Healthy buildings were recently thrust into the spotlight when Singapore’s authorities studied the possibility of airflow and ventilation issues which gave rise to a Covid-19 cluster at Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s Ward 9D. The cluster had started after a 46-year-old nurse in that ward had tested positive for Covid-19 after developing a cough, sore throat and body aches. More than 40 cases were eventually linked to this cluster.

While it is still up in the air whether a building’s heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system play a conclusive role in spreading a pandemic, some experts believe that some transmission may be prevented if buildings are well-ventilated and provide good air quality.

Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the National University of Singapore's Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said that improving air flow circulation in buildings, especially those which are currently poorly ventilated, could “certainly” reduce the risk of airborne transmission.

“In enclosed environments that rely on mechanical ventilation, there will be parts of the enclosed area where the circulation of air is poorer, and that can increase the risk of airborne transmission of Covid-19,” he told ChannelNewsAsia.

In other words, existing properties – especially enclosed structures – would very quickly have to transform themselves into healthy buildings before 100% of the workforce can repopulate the offices within them again.

You see, in a regular, non-pandemic year, one would take up to two million breaths in their office. Is it so hard to imagine that the health of one’s work building would inadvertently impact the health of one’s business?

What is a healthy building?

Simply put, a healthy building refers to a building that supports the health and well-being of the people working and living within it and its surrounding environment.

According to Joseph G. Allen and John D. Macomber, who wrote the book Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity, these are the nine Foundations of a Healthy Building:

• Ventilation
• Air quality
• Thermal health
• Moisture
• Dusts & pests
• Safety & Security
• Water quality
• Noise
• Lighting and views

From May 25, 2021, developers and estate managers in Singapore won’t have a choice but to enhance the ventilation and air quality of their buildings, now that new guidelines have been put in place because of the Covid-19 situation.

For air-conditioned spaces with mechanical ventilation provision (e.g. office buildings, shopping malls, facility managers need to:

• Ensure that ventilation systems are in good working order
• Maximise fresh air intake
• Purge indoor air daily before occupancy
• Reduce indoor air recirculation
• Keep toilet exhaust fan running

Further guidance from the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore can be found here.

Other than the law, there are various reasons why building owners and operators might want to look into improving the health of their establishments. A healthy building will attract more employees and tenants. Being more resource-efficient, a healthy building will also be more cost-effective to run in the long-term.

How to improve building ventilation and indoor air quality

If you need help with getting started with getting a health makeover for your building, Daikin is the one-stop indoor air quality (IAQ) solution provider you could consult. Check out Daikin’s healthy building solutions here.

Daikin has the reputation of being the top expertise in HVAC. We work with IAQ specialists and market leaders alike to provide customised solutions for your healthy building needs.

First of all, we will site assess your buildings to determine what is needed. Our IAQ specialist team will evaluate the IAQ conditions in the buildings. We then offer the following chemical-free solutions.

Air purifiers

Air purifiers work by sanitising the air indoors, but most of Daikin’s air purifiers go the extra mile by providing patented streamer discharging technology to remove up to 99.9% of bacteria, influenza viruses, pollen, allergens, and odours. Simply choose the right air purifier size for the room that needs it and look forward to cleaner indoor air. You may choose from our array of air purifiers at the E-Proshop here.

Steam clean your air-con

Steam cleaning involves using high pressure steam to clean your aircons and allowing healthier air to circulate around the premises. Steam cleaning is considered to be a better option to chemical flushing as it doesn’t use any chemical processes to clean the units, ensuring that drains aren’t polluted and water doesn’t leak. Most importantly, it improves air flow and cooling for a healthy building.

Clean your air ducts

Air duct cleaning requires a team of professionals as it involves special tools and equipment. It is important to clean your ducts on a regular basis to avoid dust accumulating in them over time, which could lead to people breathing in dirty and unhealthy air. Cleaning your air ducts will effectively remove mould, dust, and bacteria, and in turn improve air hygiene so everyone can breathe in healthier air.

Treat the Air with Ultra Violet (UV) Light

Ultra violet light air treatment uses UV light to destroy the DNA molecules of micro-organism cell walls and stop them from reproducing. This system can be installed in air ducts to kill off mould, bacteria, and viruses, and keep the air in a building sanitised. It can also eliminate unpleasant odours typically associated with mould.

Aside from the solutions mentioned above, we also have air filtration, air treatment, and ventilation system solutions available, all of which are carried out by professional, highly qualified technicians to keep buildings healthy.

We also provide energy optimisation systems for VRV systems and chiller units, as well as a remote monitoring system that will let you monitor your energy consumption and ensure maximum savings from your VRV units.

Daikin aims to be your partner in improving the health of your buildings, the people, and the surrounding environment to keep everybody safe, healthy, happy, and at ease.