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Improving Indoor Air Quality During Construction Takes the Right Technological Tools

Today’s era is marked by heightened awareness of both sustainability and occupational safety, the intersection of these two fields has led to intriguing technological tools and advancements within the construction industry. Indoor air quality, a critical but often overlooked facet of these conversations, not only influences the health and productivity of workers but also contributes…

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By Alexandra Simon · Air QualityAir SafetyConstructionDavid Simkins
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Key takeaways

01

Today’s era is marked by heightened awareness of both sustainability and occupational safety, the intersection of these two fields has led to intriguing technological tools and advancements within the construction industry.

02

Indoor air quality, a critical but often overlooked facet of these conversations, not only influences the health and productivity of workers but also contributes…

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Today’s era is marked by heightened awareness of both sustainability and occupational safety, the intersection of these two fields has led to intriguing technological tools and advancements within the construction industry. Indoor air quality, a critical but often overlooked facet of these conversations, not only influences the health and productivity of workers but also contributes significantly to global carbon emissions. With the rise of IoT-enabled solutions like Polygon’s XactAir system, there is a newfound ability to constantly monitor and control air quality throughout the building’s lifecycle, starting from the construction phase. 

As a natural progression from mere data collection to insightful and actionable knowledge, this digital revolution is transforming the industry’s approach to risk management, efficiency, and sustainability.

Such experts in this area are Polygon’s Head of National Sales, Garrett Freeman, Director of Engineering and Technology, David Simkins, Senior Director of Client Development, Tina York, and their US Country President, Frank Dobosz. They all share their experiences in pioneering these advancements and technological tools in the field on the latest “Polygon” episode.

Video TranscriptExpand ↓

The risks associated with indoor air quality are well known. Occupant health, environmental impacts, and even business performance are impacted by the air we breathe. "The built environment generates nearly fifty percent of the global annual CO2 emissions. That's an overwhelming statistic and it's very difficult to hide from, which is actually what's causing the problem." As early as the nineteen forties, Scientists began developing air pollution monitoring devices to measure ozone levels and other methods to predict the future attainment of clean air standards. "Historically, if we wanted to know the temperatures or humidities in a space over a period of time, we would have a chart recorder on the wall. With some ink pens drawing lines on a piece of paper with that temperature and humidity. It was even harder to measure things like indoor air quality or VOCs, a lot of those measurements had to be taken with static samples, basically a vacuum sucking air across media and collecting contaminants and then sending those to a lab to be analyzed." Today, a critical component for work safety and the ongoing sustainability of the building is to start monitoring and controlling indoor air quality during the construction phase. "Construction pollution management requires projects to protect indoor air quality during building construction and renovation through a combination of strategies. Similar to or such as envelope protection, moisture and dust management, filter replacement, air flush, and the proper equipment selection, which is we're calling on strictly solution, if implemented, are instrumental in supporting lead and well projects." The CDC and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health noted that particulate materials such as dust and fibers are likely to be produced during construction and renovation activities. Sources include drywall, plasters, concrete, soil, wood, masonry, flooring, roofing, and ductwork. These dusts are irritants that can exacerbate at lung conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive lung diseases. The concern is real and healthy building certifying bodies like Lead and Well, incorporate IAQ standards into their frameworks. Sustainability is an opportunity for the built environment to protect the planet and its people, but that doesn't mean businesses need to take a loss. "It really allows us to give visibility to what is actually happening inside of a building during construction phase and enhance our services and allows us to open new doors to new services we're trying to engage for our customers and for the market. Being a part of the sustainable movement means that you're a part of the the triple bottom line and the triple bottom line, people planet and and profits." Profitability is essential, and creating that balance between cost efficiency and sustainability is the key to unlocking the potential of environmental, social, and governance programs that will further sustainable building growth. "Corporations, owner, the construction community, they're all doing a fantastic job at looking this problem head on doing something about it. Polygon's been in this industry for the last twenty years providing indoor air quality, products, and services. We are prepared and well positioned to partner with these types of firms in tackling such a major problem." Fortunately, sensing, and communications technologies can help project managers, owners, and facility managers continuously monitor conditions and understand how they change over time. Deploying connected devices throughout a building empower stakeholders to be proactive from construction throughout occupancy. "Healthy construction sites, healthy buildings means good indoor air quality means monitoring, process, and air inside of facilities that give you a healthy environment for for your employees." ExactAire® from Polygon uses long range low power IoT communications to collect, transmit, and visualize data from various sensors. Standard sensors include indoor air quality, leak detection, and toxic gas. IoT's role in sensor monitoring to gather data on particulate matter, temperature, and humidity levels provides building managers with the critical information they need to take action when required. A Vaysala survey from twenty twenty one indicated sixty percent of four thousand people surveyed want more information on indoor air quality in public spaces. And with IoT solutions available It's a critical time for businesses and building owners to invest in the present and future. "Polygon has a unique value proposition for our clients. A lot of times, we are involved with a client more in a consultive role than we are saying, how many of these dehumidifiers or heaters do you need? One of the best example I can give you is I was recently having a conversation with a client, and they shared with me their problem, which is forty two million dollars worth of water losses. On their various construction projects in a year. Their question was, what can we do to help them detect water flow and leaks in these structures. It was a nice conversation to have with this client because we can apply all of this technology to a site and give them a single pane of glass of that different data, which then becomes actionable information for them to control and reduce that risk." Indoor climate conditions for critical environments such as data centers require precise control. Temperature and humidity level fluctuations cannot exist in these types of indoor environments without the potential risk of serious issues. Advanced IoT technology can make a difference. Through systems like Exact air, construction sites, data centers, and mission critical in ironments can receive twenty four hour data on indoor air quality and potential water leaks. "Some of the challenges our clients space during the mission critical or data center construction is a lack of having the real time data and the system implemented that will actually allow them to take it proactive approach. By having Polygon's ExactAire® IAQ system on-site, they can avoid the potential of leaks and condensation on electrical equipment, dust particulates, or particulate matter, to collect on material or gear, which can cause a tremendous loss and a substantial cost to all project stakeholders. It may also have an effect on the actual health and respiratory systems of those working on the site. Having the ability to also manage equipment runtimes by utilizing the Polygon Smart Controller normally provides a client the ability to address equipment shuts down inadvertently. They have the ability to scale back the equipment run time, which is a sustainable solution that supports efforts to reduce carbon emissions on the site." Inproving the construction process through IoT solutions doesn't have to be complicated. And it can be more sustainable, healthy, and efficient. People, technology, and knowledge. Polygon.

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About the author

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Alexandra SimonFreelance Writer

Alexandra is a freelance writer based in New York City. She's a big fan of true crime television and the Oxford comma. She has a background in local news reporting, beat reporting, magazine writing, SEO writing, and copywriting.

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About the Expert

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Alexandra Simon

Freelance Writer

Alexandra is a freelance writer based in New York City. She's a big fan of true crime television and the Oxford comma. She has a background in local news reporting, beat reporting, magazine writing, SEO writing, and copywriting.

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