The office has almost become a second home for many urban professionals.

People in developed nations spend between 80 and 90 percent of their lives indoors. About one-third of that time is at work. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is often two to five times worse indoors than outdoors.

With so much of our time spent inside workplaces that have potentially harmful air quality, it behooves employers to provide clean air in the workplace.

Even those working in the concrete jungle deserve to work in a clean air oasis. Even more, studies show that workers are more productive when breathing clean air.

What can make office building indoor air quality so bad?

Environmental regulatory agencies1,2 agree that air pollutants aren’t restricted to the outdoors.

Chemical pollutant sources in offices can include emissions from office equipment, furniture, wall and floor coverings, cleaning products, and combustion product gases.

There are also potential biological contaminants, such as fungi and molds, dust mite allergens, bacteria, viruses, and pollen – all brought in by ventilated air, employees, and visitors.

Particulate matter, such as dust or dirt, is brought in from the outdoors as well as generated by the use of common office equipment or during construction and remodeling. Offices and public spaces that permit smoking also invite chemical and particulate matter pollution.

Sometimes, poor office building indoor air quality can be compounded by the very systems and policies designed to maintain employee comfort. HVAC systems can be a source of pollutants, while office plants can be responsible for the growth of fungi and molds if overwatered. It’s inadvisable to place plants in the airstream of heating, ventilation, and HVAC equipment, as this can help distribute mold and pollen throughout a room.³

Fortune 500 company chooses IQAir for China office

Chinese property developer China Resources Land Ltd, a fortune 500 company, heeded the call to create a clean air oasis for their workers in their Dalian branch, located in Liaoning Province, China.

China Resources Land (CR Land), is one of the most powerful integrated real estate developers in Mainland China. Adhering to their corporate ethos of “better quality, better city,” CR Land advocates for sustainable urban development and business progress. CR Land took that ethos a step further by bringing in IQAir to provide clean air for their employees.

IQAir helps CR Land create a healthy and comfortable office environment for employees and provide safe and quality breathing protection by solving the most problematic formaldehyde problem.

Combining products for a more complete pollution solution

In CR Land’s open office and front desk areas, IQAir installed a combination of room and personal air purifiers, including the CleanZone SL, HealthPro Series room air purifiers, Atem personal air purifiers, and an AirVisual air quality monitoring solution.

CleanZone SL: medical-grade air for any indoor space

The CleanZone SL is a powerful, stand-alone air purifier designed for large spaces that require a quiet environment, including offices, schools, hospitals, and other commercial sites.

The CleanZone SL provides exceptional indoor pollution control in near silence. It’s the world’s quietest air purifier. Other key features include:

• Captures diesel soot, allergens, viruses, and ultrafine particles (the smallest that exist)
• Removes 99% particles down to 0.3 microns and 95% down to 0.003 microns
• Cleans the all the air in a 1,000 sq. ft. space every 15 min.
• Can be mounted vertically or horizontally to a wall or be attached to a wheelbase to be transportable
• Requires the amount of energy as a conventional light bulb to run (100 watts)
• Cost equals a few cents/day to clean up to 9,000 sq. ft.
• Uses Advanced Micro-Fiber (AMF) filtration - an almost impenetrable barrier to particles
• Slim design (only 10 inches deep)
• Tamper-proof
• Combines Swiss design quality and German manufacturing standards

IQAir engineers visited CR Land’s Huarun Real Estate offices, where they installed the CleanZone SL on the ceiling, taking up no floor space.

The Huarun Real Estate offices also have small office spaces, in addition to the large central space where the CleanZone SL is attached to the ceiling. These smaller rooms feature HealthPro Series room air purifiers, awarded the “Best Buy” award five times by Consumers Digest among room air purifiers for allergies and asthma Every HealthPro Series air purifier installed was individually tested and came with a Certificate of Performance.

In other open spaces, workers sit with Atem Desk personal air purifiers sending clean air to their personal breathing zones. The Health Pro Series and Atem Series both remove 99.5 of all particles down to .003 microns, in comparison to competing filters capable of handling only .3 microns.

AirVisual monitoring system

CR Land’s Indoor Air Quality is closely monitored by AirVisual air quality monitors. Workers and upper management can rest and breathe, easily knowing the status of their Indoor Air Quality. AirVisual Pro air quality monitors register and catalog real-time air quality data. Through AirVisual’s API widget, this information can easily be viewed and downloaded.

The air quality index from the closest outdoor air quality monitor can be displayed on multiple platforms alongside the Indoor Air Quality. With over 80,000 locations positioned around the globe, AirVisual air quality station and air quality monitor presence is constantly being expanded.

AirVisual technology covers both PM2.5 particles and common gases and chemicals like ozone, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide, invisible threats that greatly impact human health.
Office managers can keep employees informed about potentially challenging travel and outdoor activities plans using AirVisual weather and air pollution forecasts for the next 72 hours as well as compare forecast data to 72-hour air quality histories.

Employees appreciate CR Land’s urban air oasis

CR Land’s initiative to take care of their staff’s breathing concerns is well-received by its employees and the media.

Aside from the air purification and general health benefits, employees benefit from CleanZone SL being nearly silent. At its highest fan speed, the purifier tops out at 45 dB(A), three times lower than what typical professional air purifiers generate.

CR Land vows to continue perfecting their urban air oasis together with IQAir.

Learn more about how IQAir can help your organization create a clean air oasis.