Most of the offices in India to maintain healthy indoor environment

Carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide was the most common non-compliant indoor air contaminants, followed by particulate matter (PM) and formaldehyde.

Reinforcing its commitment towards enabling sustainable buildings and workspaces across the country, GBCI India, India’s foremost authority on sustainability in building design, construction and operations, released a joint research study, “Healthy Workplaces for Healthier People,” in collaboration with Saint-Gobain Research India. The study assesses the indoor environment in Indian workspaces and the impact it has on building occupants, and highlights the correlation between indoor spaces and occupants’ health and well-being. The study revealed there is considerable room for improvement in Indian offices when it comes to maintaining a healthy indoor environment.

Commenting on the study findings, Mili Majumdar, Managing Director, GBCI India and Senior Vice President, USGBC, said, “We spend most of our lives inside buildings. As such, the ways they are designed, built and operated have a direct effect on our health, not to mention our overall wellbeing and productivity. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the need for safe and healthy workspaces and businesses must ensure occupant safety by pursuing and maintaining high quality workplaces.”

Majumdar further added, “The timing couldn’t be better to share the findings of our recent study on the health performance of India’s office buildings, which underscores the impacts of physical surroundings on people. I am hopeful that this study will persuade decision-makers to prioritise workplace health and safety and pursue a people-driven approach to space design and maintenance. Offices have to be spaces where people want to work and where they feel most productive.”

Unnikrishnan AR, Managing Director, Saint-Gobain India Private Limited, Glass Business, added, “Making the world a better home is the purpose with which we at Saint-Gobain have been working with all our stakeholders. Occupier wellbeing and sustainability, during construction and across the building’s lifetime, play incredibly important roles in living up to this purpose. It was, therefore, necessary for us to understand the diverse needs, end uses, climatic conditions, designs and choice of materials to enhance occupant wellbeing and overall sustainability. The ‘Healthy Workplaces for Healthier People’ study was an extensive exercise carried out over a period of three years, with deep data analysis spanning over a year. We are confident that the insights from this study will help us design and implement better and safer workspaces, thereby aiding our pursuit to make the world a better home.”

Findings from the study reveal most offices are unable to maintain healthy indoor environment. Inadequate design, poor operation and maintenance practices and building managers’ and occupants’ lack of awareness of IEQ are the reasons behind poor-quality indoor environments in most offices.

For more info, visit: www.saint-gobain.co.in