Both poor air quality and noise pollution pose significant risks to people’s health all around the globe. As well as ramping up efforts to tackle climate change, cities across Europe are also finding innovative ways to address these two silent health hazards. The team at …
Building better environments
We keep an eye on issues around the world that affect people and property in the built environment.
Ventilation & Air Quality
The biggest health challenge for the workplace this century According to Amazon’s top doctor, as reported by CNBC, air quality is the single “biggest workplace health challenge of this century”. You can read the article in full here: why air quality is the biggest workplace …
Workplace Ventilation (Covid-19) Bill 2021: First Stage
Last month, Deputy Paul Murphy, of the People Before Profit-Solidarity party for Dublin South-West proposed a new Bill to amend the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. The Bill proposes to include a definition of fresh air based on CO2 levels in …
The Role of ‘Healthy Buildings’ to Stop Covid-19 Spread and Boost Worker Productivity
Recent data from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates that improving indoor air quality in workplaces and offices could add as much as $20 billion annually to the U.S. economy (no comparable European statistic available). Since the outbreak of Covid-19, indoor air quality has been …
Covid-19 Restrictions Help Reduce Ireland’s Air Pollution Levels
“Key to reducing transport pollution and improving air quality in Ireland is decreasing traffic volumes on our roads” EPA Poor air quality has been described by the WHO as the world’s largest environmental health threat, contributing to seven million deaths around the world every year. …
Impact of noise on human health
In a recent article on Mental Health Today, Bryony Porteous-Sebouhian posed the question: Can noise pollution affect our mental health? In the past, noise pollution both inside and outside the home has been considered a ‘nuisance’ or a mere annoyance, rather than a serious issue …
The Impact of Air Pollution on the Growth of Newborn Babies
The Impact of Air Pollution on the Growth of Newborn Babies The issue of air pollution has once again come into sharp focus after new research shows it can have a detrimental effect on the growth of newborn babies. This latest study comes from a …
The Role of ‘Healthy Buildings’ in boosting productivity
Recent data from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates that improving indoor air quality in workplaces and offices could add as much as $20 billion annually to the U.S. economy (no comparable European statistic available). Since the outbreak of Covid-19, indoor air quality has been …
An Introduction to Psychoacoustics
Our perception of sound and noise can be based on much more than just the loudness of the sound. To understand how we perceive sound we need to delve into the area of psychoacoustics. Psychoacoustics is the scientific study of the way in which noise …
Open-Plan Offices and Chronic Noise
A new study looking at the average noise levels in offices has found that open-plan offices may be a significant contributor to employee stress levels. A new study looking at the average noise levels in offices has found that open-plan offices may be a significant …