Have you ever wondered how chemical compounds or microbes actually get into the cells of your body and have a powerful influence on your health?

From my perspective of working in the intersection of two very different professions, medicine and design of the built environment, I’m frequently surprised by the resistance of each group to embrace concepts from the “other side.

Once again, research has revealed an entire new dimension of the role of indoor air quality in determining human health.

When a building is found to be consuming excess energy, the next step is usually an energy audit followed by retro-commissioning of the HVAC system. If available, an infrared scan of the building exterior might follow.

Once upon a time, humans lived outdoors in harmony with vast and diverse populations of bacteria, fungi, and viruses, largely unaware of the presence of these microbes.

Now that we are well into the winter of 2019, designers and managers of commercial buildings in cold climates may be concerned about the efficiency of their HVAC systems.

Most of us have experienced one of our best solutions backfiring and unintentionally creating a bigger problem in the future. One historical example of an unintended consequence occurred in the early 1900s in Hanoi, Vietnam. Under French Colonial rule, the city was proud of the sanitation benefits of its indoor toilets supported by a vast sewer system.

Balancing relative humidity plays a key role in not only comfort but the health of occupants.

Imagine this scenario: You decide to buy a car for your family. Deciding on a certain model, you carefully read the safety specifications.

The same mechanisms that keep humans warm do not serve the same purpose in the built environment.