Interior Designers and Architects will soon be making indoor air quality (IAQ) one of the foremost considerations when new building new structures.  Even as marvelous, energy-efficient commercial buildings took the stage, boasting sophisticated design and lower energy bills, cases of Sick Building Syndrome became increasingly common.  An army of industry associations is backing the publication of a book as well as classroom courses to educate designers, architects and builders about air quality in high performance designs.

 Sick Building Syndrome (or SBS) is often caused by several different factors—the most common causes pertain to the level of contaminants in the air.  Many of the adhesives used to construct furniture and cabinetry contain formaldehyde, which is re-mitted into the air as it ages.  Often another contaminating culprit is new carpeting—though I have heard of different instances where ceiling tile, poorly positioned delivery docks and mold were to blame for SBS.

Poor ventilation is usually part of an energy-efficient home or corporate building to keep heat and air conditioning from escaping, so that energy bills are lower.  In turn, there is not enough fresh air flow through the building, so these chemical and biological air pollutants become concentrated.  The result of SBS will usually be a large number of employees complaining about headache, dizziness or nausea, fatigue or an over-all feeling of illness.

The organizations that are taking part in this project are American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). 

Andrew Persily, the chair of the steering committee for this project, aptly described their mission: “The book and course will give guidance to designers and builders so that buildings may be constructed, operated, and maintained to improve IAQ without constraining the building function or the comfort and productivity of the occupants.”

A three-year cooperative agreement between ASHRAE and the EPA will bestow $510,000 to further the undertaking.  The book is scheduled to be published in April 2009 with the courses to follow soon after.  Now an array of different buildings will feature visionary design as well as impeccable air quality.