The Indoor Air Quality Challenges of Exhibition Spaces
During a recent visit to a large convention center, I spoke with the engineering team about their indoor air quality challenges. One engineer highlighted a unique issue: installing thousands of yards of new carpet for exhibitions leads to significant VOC surges. We explored solutions ranging from temporary space purges with outside air to systematic design approaches for continuous VOC reduction.
Automated Responses to Environmental Contaminants
This scenario illustrates a broader application for commercial spaces. Modern buildings can integrate VOC sensors with Building Automation Systems (BAS) to trigger automated responses to environmental changes. These sensors are readily available and easily incorporated into BAS to manage contamination events effectively.
ASHRAE Guideline 44 addresses this concept in relation to outdoor contaminants like wildfire smoke—where the appropriate response is often to reduce rather than increase outside air intake. Similarly, particulate matter from wildfires can be monitored with sensors that adjust ventilation and recirculation rates accordingly.
Design Standards for Normal Conditions
Buildings can be designed with static environmental standards to address “normal” VOC and particulate levels. The ASHRAE 62.1 Indoor Air Quality Procedure (IAQP), compared to the Ventilation Rate Procedure (VRP), offers a more precise and often more energy-efficient approach to maintaining acceptable indoor air quality under standard conditions—assuming no unexpected external contaminants.
The Pathogen Challenge
But what happens when the contaminant is anticipated but not easily detectable? Pathogens like H1N1 influenza present a different challenge than VOCs and particulates because they cannot be detected by conventional sensors, making automated BAS responses impossible.
Designers must therefore implement either:
- A strategy that building owners can manually activate in response to increased pathogen concerns
- Systems that continuously provide enhanced protection against pathogen transmission between occupants.
Forward-Looking Indoor Air Quality Solutions
ASHRAE Standard 241, which we’ve explored in previous discussions, provides guidance for emergency responses to airborne contagions. This standard serves as a valuable resource for designers aiming to create safer, more resilient buildings.
By considering both everyday air quality concerns and pathogen transmission risks, we can design spaces that protect occupant health under various conditions while maintaining energy efficiency. Want to learn more? Reach out below to get more information from the CASPR team.