Page 12 - College Planning & Management, January/February 2019

Facilities CAMPUS SPACES
Deep Breaths
The EPA says improving indoor air quality can improve the performance of students and faculty.
BY MICHAEL FICKES
HAVE YOU EVER FOUND yourself and your stu- dents in the midst of a coughing and sneezing fit? Have you ever felt yourself growing uncontrollably sleepy—
after a good night’s sleep? It’s happened to all of us. While there may be several explanations for such problems, one of the most likely explanations is poor indoor air quality (IAQ).
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website (epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq), “Indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air.” Two to five times! What a huge mul- tiple. No wonder you and your students are coughing and sneezing.
Fixing the Air
There are short term and long-term solutions to the problem.
Short term is easy: open the windows and let lots fresh air into the room. Long term: find a way to provide constant adequate ventilation.
According to professional architects and engineers, adequate ventilation with fresh, clean air will prevent indoor air problems. What is adequate ventilation? Check the “Standards and Guide-
lines” page at www.ashrae.org.
ASHRAE, or the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
Conditioning Engineers, is a global professional association seeking to advance heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems design and construction. Founded in 1894 as the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers (ASHVE), it became the American Society of Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHAE) in 1954. In 1959, with the merger of ASHAE and the American Society of Refrigerat- ing Engineers (ASRE), it adopted its current name of ASHRAE.
According to the ASHRAE website, “High building occupant densities make it particularly important for building designers to incorporate ventilation systems that provide adequate outdoor air (in compliance with the industry’s ventilation standard, ASHRAE 62.1-2010), while also controlling moisture and energy costs.
Of course, poor indoor air quality can have detrimental effects on the health of occupants. According to the EPA, poor indoor air quality can cause coughing, irritated eyes, headaches, and even respiratory distress related to asthma and allergies.
12 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 WEBCPM.COM
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