In collaboration with the University of Hawai’i at Manoa (UH) and community members, researchers of the Harvard Healthy Buildings Program are collecting data to examine human health risks of wildfire-related pollutants in homes following the Maui wildfires last August. The study is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and aims to assess a comprehensive […]

The pandemic abruptly disrupted workplaces overnight, transforming many homes into offices. Here are the newest takeaways from our Home/Work study. To examine the role environmental factors in the home play on the cognitive function of remote workers, our team designed a study led by Dr. Anna Young that studied 206 office workers who worked in remote or […]

The research team, led by Dr. Gen Pei, Research Associate with the Healthy Buildings Program, developed a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model to evaluate how portable air cleaners (PACs) help remove airborne pathogens and mitigate disease transmission in occupied classrooms. The recent pandemic underscored the importance of maintaining safe indoor environments for students and teachers […]

August 8 marks the one-year anniversary of the Lahaina wildfires, which caused devastating loss of life, community, and homes. Researchers in Hawaii and across the U.S. have been working to understand the ongoing environmental and health impacts of the wildfires. The Harvard Healthy Buildings Program is one of those teams. In partnership with local community […]

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a fundamental yet frequently underestimated aspect of public health, especially highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This often-neglected facet impacts health, productivity, and learning. In an article published in SCIENCE, 40+ international experts, including Professor Joseph Allen, Director of Harvard’s Healthy Buildings program, call for national IAQ standards and provide a roadmap for healthier […]

In this article, we discuss the basics of air cleaning and filtration, how to build your own portable air cleaner, and some performance enhancement considerations. There are three main approaches for improving indoor air quality: (i) reducing sources of indoor air pollution, (ii) dilution ventilation, and (iii) air cleaning. Air cleaners are generally used to […]

Did you know that some high performance air filters use electrostatic charges to improve particle removal efficiencies? Did you know that wildfire smoke can reduce the effectiveness of these filters? Continue reading below to learn more about air quality and health impacts from wildfires or jump straight to the filtration section to learn more about steps to […]

Last week, the Biden-Harris administration hosted the White House Summit on Sustainable and Healthy K-12 School Buildings and Grounds. Clean energy, safe drinking water, and indoor air quality are key pillars of the White House’s action plan to improve schools’ health across the country. Healthy Buildings director Joseph Allen shares his key takeaways from the summit […]