Page 36 - Green Builder Magazine Nov-Dec 2019 Issue

COGNITION Key Fact:

Dual Identity:

For many buyers healthy air
and green buildingn are
synonymous terms.

Q. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING
DO YOU CORRELATE WITH
GREEN/SUSTAINABLE BUILDING?

Indoor Air Quality 11%
CREDIT: SIBERIANART¡ISTOCK Quality Construction 9.75%
Best Building and
9.8%
Design Practices

In the red. An air quality index is used by government agencies to communicate how polluted the air is or High Performance Homes 9.7%
how polluted it is expected to become—a situation that is spending more time than ever in the unhealthy
range.
Building Sciences 9.7%
Do-it-yourself (DIY) consumers are the Renewable Energy 9%
most active with respect to IAQ content on “Americans spend 87 percent of
the web and social media, so for elevated their time indoors, with 70 percent Durability and 8.5%
engagement, manufacturers may want to Low Maintenance
target DIYers for enhanced exposure, pickup of that time spent at home...it’s Selecting Quality/
and earned public relations (PR). only a matter of time before people Performing Building Product 8.25% CREDIT: ABARNDWELLER¡FLICKR
There is subtle difference in consum- CREDIT: BRAUNS¡ISTOCK
ers’ perception about sustainability versus want to feel as good being indoors Above Code 8%
health and wellness. While consumers per-
Achieving a
ceive energy e€ciency, water conservation as they do about being there.” Performance Target 6%
and resiliency as part of the sustainability —Lawrence Berkeley National
equation, they associate indoor air quality Resiliency 5.75%
with health and wellness rather than sus- Laboratory
tainability. It’s a delicate nuance for sure, but Smart/Connected 5.5% SOURCE: COGNITION SMART DATA
an important one for any manufacturer or and building professionals.†To achieve opti- Homes
builder wanting to create eƒective, targeted mal success in today’s marketplace, manu- *Totals reflect rounded numbers
messaging for customers. facturers and building professionals need to
One of the hottest trends in the IAQ cate- become invaluable resources for homeown-
gory is a proliferating interest in sensors and ers in their journey towards understanding COGNITION Smart Data
monitoring systems that provide real-time the impact of indoor air quality on their fam-
observation and reporting. This is resulting ily’s health and productivity.
in a mushrooming demand for proactive, To do that, it’s important to emphasize windows and other IAQ devices.
intuitive systems that can provide alerts and situational awareness, enabling homeowners Correspondingly, as research on the health
noti cations, and can interconnect devices, accurately measure and manage IAQ through impacts of pollutants in homes and buildings
mechanical systems, ventilation fans and real-time data and develop a deeper under- progresses, expect enhanced codes, regula-
other products in the home (such as win- standing of how to solve any IAQ issues (for tions and mandates that address IAQ issues
dows) to manage IAQ in an automated and example, specifying low VOC/non-toxic prod- in a comprehensive and methodical manner.
streamlined manner. ucts, proper ventilation, fresh air exchange There are changes that may be implemented
and regularly changing lters).† as early as the 2021 code cycle (underway
THINKING AHEAD As the market continues to evolve, look now) in the single-family and multi-family
The surging interest in healthy homes, as well for ongoing innovation with respect to sectors that address ventilation and exhaust
as the adoption of IAQ sensors and monitors, demand-controlled, intelligent systems that systems, proper air’ow and air exchange,
is placing new demands on manufacturers integrate mechanical systems with sensors, and range hoods. Stay tuned. GB

34 GREEN BUILDER November/December 2019 www.greenbuildermedia.com

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