Healthy Buildings

During periods of crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic (caused by the SARS CoV-2 virus), efforts to minimize public health consequences necessarily turn to interventions that can be quickly implemented to help “slow the spread”. These interventions include disinfecting surfaces, washing hands frequently, social distancing, quarantining of infected individuals, protecting vulnerable individuals, and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks. The purpose of this report, however, is to look beyond these remedial interventions that are necessary in crisis but which are usually relaxed and then completely forgotten after the crisis fades away (except in health care settings). In this report, we will consider interventions that may be more enduring, proactive, and pre-emptive. During periods of crises they can supplement the interventions mentioned above. At all other times they can provide more “routine” health benefits that are more convenient and less dependent on maintaining social awareness and compliance. These interventions relate to controlling the environment where we spend most of our lives: indoors.