CREJ

INSIDE W hat changes to commercial building design standards and building codes post- pandemic can we expect? The lessons we have learned over the past months should be leveraged as we identify a new normal. This article identifies antici- pated facility modifications that we can enact now to improve the health of buildings and the well-being of ten- ants. Healthy buildings always have been important to the property manage- ment and engineering community. ASHRAE, the leading engineering organization in building design guide- lines and stan- dards, consistently focuses on healthy buildings, includ- ing the balance of improved indoor air quality, energy management, envi- ronmental sustain- ability and occu- pant comfort. Past epidemics, such as Ebola (2014-2016) and H1N1 virus (1918 and 2009), brought a height- ened awareness of protecting the health of people, but the COVID-19 pandemic has magni- fied the importance of building health to the global community. This global community must band together in order to create the changes necessary to ensure healthy environments for all people. n Expect design changes. Filtra- tion, ventilation and air patterns are critically important focuses of heat- ing, ventilation and air-conditioning design changes in new buildings and tenant improvements as we respond to the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. • Air-system filtration for occupied spaces: Current minimum require- ments for office space is minimum efficiency rating value 8, but it can be expected that this requirement will be elevated to meet updated code changes. Increased efficiency has been encouraged to a MERV 13 to help minimize the transmission of airborne pathogens, likely increasing the efficiency minimums for filters in buildings, thus eliminating lower MERV ratings in the marketplace. • Increased ventilation require- ments to improve indoor air quality: The balance of increased ventilation You can gain insights from due diligence and condition assessment evaluations of a property Building maintenance There are many benefits that come from offer- ing resident services to housing communities Multifamily services PAGE 17 Technology will play a defining role as real estate adapts to the post-pandemic era Tech solutions Please see Page 22 July 2020 PAGE 19 PAGE 11 Healthy building modifications that managers can implement now Clay Herrin, PE, CEM, CMVP, LEED-AP Project development engineer, Haynes Mechanical Systems Haynes Mechanical Systems Changes related to ongoing occupant and building health can and should be addressed, especially considering that people spend a third of their lifetime in a workplace environment.