UTILISING SMART TECHNOLOGIES TOWARDS CREATING A HEALTHY BUILDING ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

Achieving healthy Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) has been the priority of organisations and building occupants given the significant impact it has on the health and wellness of people.

As organisations prepare for the gradual return of employees after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Facility Managers are particularly interested in ways they can modify existing measures to reduce the presence of infectious biological contaminants and mitigate the spread of airborne diseases within their facilities. One of the prominent areas gaining traction recently is disinfection technologies to minimise the spread of airborne diseases. Various disinfection technologies have been developed and utilised to reduce the potential spread of infection and to keep the indoor building environment healthy.

This dissertation aims to explore how infection spread can be mitigated in a post-pandemic building environment with the use of smart technology. The role of biological contaminants as part of IAQ is established, followed by a study about the airborne transmission of infections. A critical evaluation of existing strategies available to deal with airborne contaminants is also done. This is followed by an exploratory study about a smart air disinfection robot system that can be potentially deployed to a variety of building types.

Through this dissertation, it is envisioned that valued stakeholders of the built environment will be able to develop a more refined understanding of the importance of air disinfection in the workplace setting towards achieving cleaner air for building occupants in a post-pandemic setting. The study about the robot air disinfection system and its navigational capabilities seeks to offer a distinctive and viable solution to the pressing needs of maintaining clean air within indoor building spaces.