The design process drives innovation in air quality management

Fellowes is committed to executing every detail of the design and engineering. Its ‘Array’ is a leap forward in Air Quality Management (AQM) for entire buildings. With its groundbreaking design, advanced technology, and dealing with indoor air quality management, the Array system is poised to enhance air quality management with increased visibility and responsiveness.

Achieving a breakthrough in product design is rare and exceptionally challenging. It demands a relentless pursuit of excellence, an understanding of customer needs, and a commitment to executing every design and engineering detail. The Fellowes ‘Array’ is the first system where distributed, networked air purifiers work with HVAC systems. It intelligently adjusts to current conditions in each designated space to improve indoor air quality faster and more efficiently than ever before.

Interplay of the invisible and visible

In developing Air Quality Management (AQM) solutions, Fellowes recognised the need to navigate the complex interplay between the seen and unseen. This addresses the often unnoticed dangers of unhealthy and unsafe air with solutions materialised visually in intentional and crafted ways.

The aim is to make air quality visible using advanced sensors and intuitive displays with status information. It enables facility managers to monitor and maintain the system. The attention to designing the visible components of the system ensured they naturally integrate into any layout, blend with any decor, and reflect the high quality that defines all Fellowes products. Fellowes® Array™ is the culmination of efforts engaged by multiple teams across the company.

Design Challenge

Array’s success stems from extensive effort. It effortlessly improves indoor air quality swiftly and effectively. It intelligently senses and responds to changing conditions in each local environment, such as motion, sound, and contaminants. It complements any decor, fits into any layout, and works alongside any HVAC system without needing to connect to ductwork. Additionally, it offers ease in monitoring system performance and performing maintenance.

Healthy air

The emphasis on IAQ had already been growing. The research on the health risks of airborne contaminants, increased awareness of the impacts of sick building syndrome, and the cultural shift towards greater health consciousness. This groundbreaking AQM solution was already in development as the COVID-19 pandemic amplified architects’ and building owners’ awareness of the critical importance of indoor air quality (IAQ).

The growing body of research was revealing the troubling correlation between poor air quality and respiratory infections, exacerbation of asthma, long-term respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.* Additionally, exposure to indoor pollutants can impair cognitive functions, affecting concentration, memory, and decision-making while reducing productivity in poorly ventilated spaces.**

User-centred passion to enhance workplace environments

Since its founding in 1917, Fellowes has consistently been at the forefront of designing high-quality, innovative solutions that enhance workplace environments. Following extensive research that impacts human performance in the workplace, Fellowes determined that indoor air quality proved to be the most consequential element in promoting well-being and productivity in the workplace.

James Fellowes, Chairman of the Board of Directors, emphasises that this goes back to the beginning and is core to a company’s longevity and success. “When my grandfather founded a company that sold bankers’ boxes, he never saw himself selling a box. My grandfather insisted upon building a records storage system. This whole idea of providing solutions that help people goes right back to the very beginning of the company.”

This user-centred, solutions-driven ethos permeates every project and phase, from initial design and engineering to customer support. Taiwon Choi, the Director of Industrial Design at Fellowes, underscores the importance of the user experience. “At the end of the day, we are not just envisioning an object or a system; we’re focusing on the overall experience. We always consider what the result will mean for all our customers — not just those with purchasing power or authority, but also the everyday users and the maintenance crews. These considerations are integral from the very beginning of the design phase.”

First IAQ product: A standalone, residential solution

Fellowes initially entered the market in 2008 with a line of standalone residential air purifiers, AeraMax®. These early models were designed to cover individual spaces, offering targeted solutions to enhance air quality through advanced filtration technologies. Recognising the need for air purification, Fellowes further focused on developing high-efficiency air purifiers with advanced technologies for commercial spaces with the release of AeraMax® Pro. This advanced product line focuses on applications in larger workspaces, with the benefit of longer warranties and lower maintenance. Subsequently, Fellowes then embarked on a path, ultimately creating the Array networked building-wide solution.

Holistic design process

Fellowes adopts a holistic design process approach centred around end users’ well-being in all workspaces. The process is characterised by three essential qualities: a company-wide spirit of Innovation that fosters collaboration and iterative processes across all departments, culminating in a solution optimised for the end user.

John Fellowes, the CEO, says, “When you put your name on a product, you shoulder the responsibility of ensuring the highest quality. The customer experience and product performance must meet our high standards of excellence.” Collaboration is a second core element of Fellowes’ holistic approach, which is present at every stage of the design and execution process.

Ron Stephens, Chief Product Officer, says, “Innovation comes from many directions at Fellowes. We have multiple groups that serve as catalysts, covering everything from user experience and market trends to exploring cutting-edge technologies and manufacturability.”

The third core element is a commitment to providing a comprehensive solution. Fellowes has adopted a systemic and solution-oriented approach to its product design. For building-wide air quality management, this approach means delivering a system designed with the flexibility to accommodate various spaces and applications throughout a building. That means the scalability and adaptability to respond to evolving needs as the structure and usage of buildings change over time. With the ability to create networked systems where units can leverage sense & react technology into a coordinated response while providing important air quality data through easy-to-understand visualisation on a cloud-based dashboard, Array is a comprehensive solution. 

Thorough design of each component

The design journey for each component starts with its housing or ‘shell’. Choi, head of the in-house design team, emphasises the Fellowes design mantra, “In object creation, we are striving for ‘dynamic elegance.’ We want to create a shell ideal for consumer use that resonates with the Fellowes brand. If you look at every surface and line, each design choice is meaningful.”

Systemic thinking led to a paradigm shift

Arti Lyde, Global General Manager of Air Quality Management, shares, “The name ‘Array’ was inspired by the understanding that a comprehensive solution for buildings requires a range of unit options, each designed to serve particular spaces and purposes”. “For example, units designed to hang from or be recessed into ceilings necessitate unique design and engineering strategies to achieve the best performance and blend with the interior design. Additionally, portable units are available for spaces that benefit from flexibility, enabling easy relocation to enhance air quality as needed”, adds Arti.

All Array units employ Fellowes’ patented EnviroSmart+ sensor technology that continuously monitors the environment for particulates (PM10, PM2.5, PM1), occupancy, temperature, humidity (RH), carbon dioxide (CO2), pressure, and TVOCs. These automatically adjust the purification process to the optimal level to ensure air quality while minimising noise and energy consumption. This data can be visible to employees and visitors on wall-mounted displays and to facilities managers on their Viewpoint dashboards, providing valuable data for analysis and system maintenance.

The synergy among units has paved the way for groundbreaking advances in thought, viewing them as parts of an integrated system. Fellowes developed innovative sensor-sharing technology, enabling each unit to continuously learn from other sensors in the system and adjust to changing conditions. This networked approach facilitates intelligent and efficient operations among Array units. It also enables optimal harmonisation of AQM with existing HVAC systems to enhance efficiency and minimise strain on HVAC components without requiring connection to ductwork.

Setting new performance standards

Echoing Henry Ford’s famous insight, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses”, this mindset has led to the concept of distributed, networked AQM and significant advancements in specific details.

A prime example is the redesign of filters, which traditionally required replacement every three to six months. Fellowes aimed to limit the usual need for frequent filter replacements with tactical and proprietary filter design, extending filter life to a year with a user-centric strategy that makes filter maintenance visible. The Viewpoint dashboard can inform customers when a filter change is needed. This approach aligns with our overall design strategy of simplifying user interaction and enhancing the visibility of system status and performance without compromising on unit and network performance.

Future of indoor air quality

As the awareness of indoor air quality continues to grow, so does the demand for innovative solutions like Fellowes Array. With its groundbreaking design, advanced technology, and comprehensive approach to indoor air quality management, the Array system is poised to revolutionise how we think about air purification.

Contributed by Fellowes.