{"id":127476,"date":"2021-05-04T06:09:04","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T10:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constructionspecifier.com\/?p=127476"},"modified":"2021-05-03T23:13:42","modified_gmt":"2021-05-04T03:13:42","slug":"usgbcs-center-for-green-schools-ashrae-release-iaq-in-schools-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionspecifier.com\/usgbcs-center-for-green-schools-ashrae-release-iaq-in-schools-report\/","title":{"rendered":"USGBC\u2019s Center for Green Schools, ASHRAE release IAQ in schools report"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Survey<\/a>
Survey findings from the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) show majority of schools have acted during the pandemic to address air quality.<\/span>
Photo courtesy Allison Shelley\/EDUimages<\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The\u00a0Center for Green Schools<\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0U.S. Green Building Council<\/a>\u00a0(USGBC), with technical support from American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), released survey results from school districts across the country, detailing measures they have taken to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) in school buildings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

The responses cover more than 4000 schools serving 2.5 million students in 24 states.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndoor air quality continues to be a critical concern as more teachers and students are returning to the classroom,\u201d said\u00a0Anisa Heming, director of the Center for Green Schools at USGBC.<\/p>\n

\u201cIncreasing clean air circulation for our teachers and students is vital to promoting public health and is a key green building strategy for school buildings. Our aim with this report is to inform policymakers and nonprofits that support our schools of the challenges that our education institutions face in combatting the spread of COVID-19, particularly given the deficient state of many school buildings across the country,\u201d Heming said.<\/p>\n

The report shows what school districts have prioritized, which actions they have taken, how they have made decisions, and what the consequences have been. The results of the survey show that schools have implemented some protective measures to improve IAQ, prioritizing ventilation and filtration to reduce the transmission of the virus. However, school districts still have unmet needs and face numerous challenges related to high costs and outdated building infrastructure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis report provides a wide-scale, foundational framework to school leaders and lawmakers alike towards the implementation of new building design guidelines and to advance health and sustainability goals, while instilling confidence in the places where people learn,\u201d said 2020-21 ASHRAE president Charles E. Gulledge III, P.E.<\/p>\n

Additional findings from the survey:<\/p>\n