Dr. John Ryan, Chief Strategy Officer at Allergy Standards in Archetech magazine discusses the value of third party certification and the responsibility on those in the building and design industry to prioritise health and wellbeing

At the core of design thinking is the user, the consumer, the human combined with an approach that requires empathy and an open mind

It is a common statistic when talking about the quality of indoor air, that we spend approximately 90% of our time indoors. The origin of that statistic was a study by the US Environmental Protection Agency back in 19891. The importance of this is the nature of the contained environment of the home; in the move towards greater environmental sustainability, homes have become more energy efficient and more tightly sealed. While this provides a better environmental impact, it also means that the air in the home does not become renewed through passage of fresh air.

As more and more countries are infected by coronavirus, we can learn from the experiences of others first affected, both from their successful actions and their failures. We can put measures and processes in place to help us stay safe. By learning from our mistakes we can set guidelines and protocols. One thing this health crisis has highlighted is the need and importance of such safety measures. In particular, standards, trusted labels and third party certification. 

Allergy Standards Ltd launch the development of a new certification standard for Whole Home Air Cleaners, also known as In-Duct Air Cleaners, to help consumers improve the overall “health” of their home.

The challenge to an extent is not in having too many certification marks, but in identifying which certification marks you should trust and why.

ASL’s Dr. John McKeon and Dr. John Ryan joined 8000 other delegates at the highly informative congress, the largest event of its kind in the world.