Worldwide celebration of ventilation

November 8 is being celebrated as the first official World Ventilation Day – or, as it has been dubbed, World Ventil8 Day.

Launched by a coalition of scientists, academics, engineering bodies and environmental activists, the international awareness campaign promotes the critical role of better building ventilation in supporting health, wellbeing, and productivity. It is being driven by UK bodies BESA (the Building Engineering Services Association), CIBSE (the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers), IMechE (Institution of Mechanical Engineers) and FETA (the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations).

Other organisations around the world to have pledged their support include the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the European association of refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump contractors (AREA), the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), and AIRAH.

The first annual World Ventil8 Day includes a series of in-person and online events and discussions around the world.

A healthier world

The overarching mission of the event is “improving ventilation for a healthier world”. To achieve this, the campaign will showcase powerful scientific and practical evidence demonstrating how good ventilation can reduce exposure to air pollutants and infectious diseases, which aids human productivity, improves sleep, and reduces mould and damp in buildings.

“Good ventilation is part of creating a sustainable and low-carbon environment, by using technology well to balance air quality, energy use and comfort,” says healthy building champion Professor Cath Noakes OBE, Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings at the University of Leeds.

“It is critical to making buildings more resilient to health threats including our regular battles with the transmission of colds and flu around crowded indoor spaces.”

As well as showcasing the range of ventilation solutions available to building owners and occupiers, World Ventil8 Day will recognise the skilled people who implement the measures and strategies used to make buildings healthier and safer – highlighting the need for training and recruiting more skilled people to take on this growing global task.

The official worldventil8day.com website includes a range of free resources including “top facts” about the role of ventilation, and different methods that can be adapted depending on the age, design, location, and purpose of the building.  It also explains how building operators can manage the complex trade-off between ventilation, energy consumption, climate change, urban pollution, noise, comfort, and security.

Top tips and practical solutions

To celebrate World Ventil8 Day, the BESA will be running a free webinar on improving ventilation. A panel of experts will discuss how good ventilation can improve health and wellbeing as well as protect buildings. They will share top ventilation tips and practical solutions to implement your home, school or workplace.

The webinar is scheduled for November 8, 11pm (AEDT) and will be available to watch on demand afterwards.

Organisers are also encouraging people to get involved by following their social media (Twitter @WorldVentil8Day, Instagram @WorldVentil8Day and LinkedIn /WorldVentil8Day) and using the hashtags #WorldVentil8Day & #CelebrateVentil8 in their own posts.

“To make buildings more resilient we need both short-term solutions and long-term strategies,” says BESA’s Head of Technical Graeme Fox. “For example, local air cleaners based on HEPA filtration or UVC disinfection are important tools, but they are not an alternative to improving the general ventilation either through natural or mechanical means.

“Far too many buildings are simply under-ventilated and by raising awareness we hope to encourage many more owners and operators to make this a much higher priority and so safeguard the health and well-being of millions of people around the world.”

For more information, including how to get involved, visit the World Ventil8 Day website.

Photo by Ivan Samkov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/green-plants-on-the-wall-5514870/