Healthy Buildings Insights Blog Posts

Here you will find the latest research and insights from the Healthy Buildings team. Our blog cover a wide range of topics, from innovative solutions in building design to the impact of air quality on public health. Stay informed with expert commentary, case studies, and the latest trends in creating healthier indoor environments.

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August 2, 2024– Healthy Buildings Blog

Climate Homes Indoor Air Quality Vulnerable Populations
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July 23, 2024– Healthy Buildings Blog

Infectious Disease Indoor Air Quality Schools
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June 12, 2024– Healthy Buildings Blog

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May 1, 2024– Healthy Buildings Blog

Climate Indoor Air Quality Schools
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April 26, 2024– Healthy Buildings Blog

Homes Indoor Air Quality Workplaces
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March 28, 2024– Healthy Buildings Blog

Indoor Air Quality Workplaces
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January 4, 2024– Healthy Buildings Blog

Climate Homes Indoor Air Quality Vulnerable Populations
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November 6, 2023– Healthy Buildings Blog

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July 19, 2022
Climate

CoBE Cast Study: Mixed-Use Building Retrofit and BPS Compliance

Our first fictional use case concerns a Boston building owner who manages a four-story commercial building, consisting of apartments, offices, a bank, and a grocery store. This building owner is interested in retrofitting her building, particularly in HVAC and boiler technology upgrades. She would like to evaluate the reduction in energy use and emissions that […]
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February 27, 2023
Climate

CoBE Case Study: Counterfactual Impact of a Lighting Retrofit

In this fictional use case, the owner of a supermarket in Fayetteville, Arkansas, is interested in reducing his building’s energy costs. In addition, he is also concerned about the impact of his building’s energy use on climate change. In the United States, food sales buildings have the greatest amount of lit floor space of all […]
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June 12, 2024
Climate

CoBE Case Study: Modernizing School Heating with Ground-source Heat Pump

In this real-life use case, Hopkins Academy, a public middle and senior high school in Hadley, MA, is considering upgrading its aging oil-burning heating system to a ground-source heat pump to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. UndauntedK12, a non-profit organization advising K-12 public schools in the energy transition, applied the Co-Benefits of […]
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April 19, 2021
Materials

Hormonally-active dust?

New research from the Healthy Buildings team led by Dr. Anna Young found that indoor dust mimics sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone when it gets into our cells. Every day, we unknowingly breathe in and ingest dust that accumulates inside our buildings. In our study, we found that Human cells exposed to the dust samples […]
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May 5, 2021
Climate

Reconstructing the Public Health Burden of Energy During the Last Decade in the U.S. – 3 Key Takeaways for Energy and Climate Policymaking

The Harvard Healthy Buildings program collaborated with the Harvard Chan Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE) on a study on the health impacts of energy transitions from coal-fired power plants to other energy sources during the last decade. Here we provide 3 key takeaways from our study. The results of this study show that the […]
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May 19, 2021
Infectious Disease

A Partnership with Harvard India Research Center on COVID-19 Guidance for India

The COVID-19 crisis in India has become devastating. Due to the emergence of new variants, it has also become an international global health issue. Our team is proud to support the Harvard India Research Center by translating some of our COVID-19 related research into relevant infographics to increase awareness around precautions to take to reduce spread and […]
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May 28, 2021
Indoor Air Quality, Workplaces

Understanding the Effect of Ventilation and Filtration on Indoor PM2.5 in International Office Buildings

In March 2020, the Harvard Healthy Buildings Program completed data collection for the Global CogFx study, an international, one-year study of indoor environmental quality and office worker health and productivity. This week, the first of several papers analyzing data from the Global CogFx study was published.  This first paper evaluated how building operations impacted indoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations […]
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July 23, 2023
Materials, Workplaces

Pinpointing Office Worker Exposures to Chemicals in their Office Buildings in 4 Countries by Using Silicone Wristbands

Every day, we are exposed to mixtures of hundreds of chemicals that are present in the materials and products that surround us in our buildings (Table 1). For example, semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) build up in indoor dust and air and get into our bodies through ingestion, breathing, and direct skin contact. Typical office workers spend about […]
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