Clean Air in Classrooms

School buildings impact students’ health, thinking, and performance during critical growth and development.

Prioritizing Healthy Schools on the Political Agenda

Joseph Allen shared his first-hand insights from the 2024 White House Summit on Sustainable and Healthy K-12 School Buildings and Grounds.

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Clean Air in Classrooms to Keep Children and Teachers Safe

Environmental Science featured Gen Pei’s computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to evaluate the effectiveness of air cleaners in classrooms.

Learn More about Portable Air Cleaner Effectiveness in Classrooms

Investing in Neglected School Infrastructure

Helping schools navigate scorching temperatures to protect students and teachers from heat stress and prevent school closures. Joseph Allen talked to PBS about heat stress in schools and how to keep classrooms cool.

Watch the PBS Video

Modernizing Schools to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Safe Costs

The Hopkins Academy in Hadley, MA applied our Co-Benefits of the Built Environment (CoBE) tool to forecast the climate and health benefits of retrofitting its buildings.

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Healthy Air for Healthy Minds

Lauren Ferguson spoke with students from the environmental club at Oak Park & River Forest High School in Oak Park, IL, shedding light on the often-overlooked link between air pollution and mental health.

Learn More about the Link Between Air Quality and Mental Health

Healthy Schools Research


A bright and sunny elementary school classroom

Our School For Health Report provides scientific proof that school buildings are foundational to student health, thinking, and performance. It is time to fix the crumbling school infrastructure we’ve been neglecting for decades.


Poster image for the Risk Reduction Strategies for Reopening Schools report

To help schools navigate public health challenges, we provided immediate risk reduction strategies for schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Harvard India S.M.A.R.T. header image

Our 5-step ventilation guide helps enhance classroom air quality, controlling infectious disease spread, reducing absenteeism, and boosting academic performance.


A woman and two children walking out of Franklin Square Elementary/Middle School #95
Image credit: Vincent Alban/AP

Fixing neglected school buildings must be a priority to avoid school closures during extreme heat and protect students’ health, thinking, and performance. 


CFD model simulation

Led by Gen Pei, researchers developed a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model to evaluate the effectiveness of portable air cleaners (PACs) in under-ventilated classrooms.

Learn More about Portable Air Cleaner Effectiveness in Classrooms

Healthy Schools Impact


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Meet the Team Schools


Joseph Allen, DSC, MPH, CIH

Director of the Healthy Buildings Program

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Seongjun Park, PHD

Postdoctoral Fellow with the Healthy Buildings Program

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Jose Vallarino

Project Engineer with the Healthy Buildings Program

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Buildings represent one of the greatest public health opportunities of this century. Help us turn this opportunity into reality and join the Healthy Buildings Movement today! A gift to the Healthy Buildings Program is a gift to improve the lives of all people, in buildings and beyond, everywhere, every day.

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