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Building Health Sciences - Healthy buildings, healthy people, healthy business

Indoor Environmental and Air Quality Planning

A high profile, publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT), was focused on strategic customer relationships and very specialized, demanding tenants in approximately 200 buildings, with over 16,000,000 square feet. Recognizing the need for environmentally sensitive and sustainable buildings based on prior IEAQ problems and tenant awareness, the REIT advocates that a healthy office environment is one in which the surroundings contribute to a conducive business environment for tenants, productivity for staff and a sense of comfort, health and well-being for occupants. It is a core business philosophy. BHS was engaged to bring their vision to reality through the development and implementation of a company-wide program for indoor environmental and air quality (IEAQ).

Solution

Our engagement was proactive and preventive in nature. It included a complete IEAQ manual and training program for upper management, property managers and building engineers, endorsed by the Board of Directors. Subsequently, through a “hotline” protocol, as a teaming partner, BHS physicians and building scientists have responded to select incidents, situations and collaborated with property managers on resolution of:

  • air quality complaints
  • odor issues
  • moisture intrusion
  • water events
  • mold amplification
  • duct sound liner contamination
  • VOC
  • formaldehyde.

When health-effects and occupant symptoms exceed in-house capabilities and pose a threat to customer satisfaction, BHS helped resolve potentially troublesome incidents. Satisfactory resolution and tenant satisfaction are critical relationship components when full building tenants are the rule not the exception.

Lessons Learned

 

In many tense business situations, credibility is crucial to successful resolution of any complaint – real or imagined. The forethought of this REIT to protect its Class A reputation and building attractiveness through client satisfaction has been validated by their tenants’ positive reactions to a formal, health-based IEAQ program which includes a physician and building professionals (white coats and hard hats). Satisfactory resolution means not only the quality of service delivered, but the tenant’s perception of how well the incident was handled.

Document: Outdoors Chart