The hidden layer of smart: why indoor air quality must be core to smart building strategies

Originally published in MEP Middle East.

Indoor air quality (IAQ), along with broader Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) is fundamental to human health, cognitive function and comfort. Yet, it continues to sit on the periphery of many building services and building technology strategies.

This continues to be missed opportunity for high performing buildings, and as we learn more, potentially dangerous one. It’s estimated that we spend up to 90% of our time indoors, whether at homes, at work, shopping, dining, schools, or public transport hubs; the buildings we spend time in have an undeniably profound impact on the health, happiness, and productivity of their occupants.

In regions like the Middle East the high temperatures, humidity, and fine dust particles compromise outdoor air quality, the buildings become our protective shell. But what if the air inside is just as harmful?

Numerous studies have shown that common indoor pollutants such as CO₂, PM2.5, and VOCs have both immediate and long-term negative health effects. Elevated CO₂ levels can impair decision-making and cognitive function, poor ventilation contributes to the spread of airborne pathogens; particulate matter, particularly from poorly maintained HVAC systems or external infiltration into leaky buildings - can exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular issues. Yet buildings, including those marketed as 'smart,' rarely have real-time IAQ monitoring or response capability in place.

A smart building is a healthy building

‘Smart’ is not in how many sensors you have - it’s in how the building responds to sensor stimuli. A CO₂ monitor on the wall is not enough. A smart building should regulate ventilation rates, fresh-air rates and monitor filtration performance based on occupancy and pollutant levels.

This integration of IAQ and IEQ into smart building operations is possible and necessary! The technology has long existed. High-resolution IAQ sensors, cloud-based analytics, and responsive BMS platforms are capable of facilitating adaptive environments that balance energy efficiency with occupant wellbeing. The barrier is less about hardware and more about priorities.

Policy and research are aligning

It is good to see the urgency of the issue is not lost on policymakers. The UAE’s National Air Quality Agenda 2031 lays out a clear roadmap to reduce air pollutants by 50% while embedding air quality into sectors such as mobility, education, urban planning, and digital infrastructure.

At the same time, the Healthy Buildings Barometer 2024, released by the Buildings Performance Institute Europe, reinforces the value of healthier indoor spaces. It outlines a series of actionable considerations for creating environments that support occupant health - from IAQ and thermal comfort to acoustics and lighting. These are not abstract ideals; they are measurable, designable outcomes. Building services integrated smart buildings must lead in delivering them.

The business case

Post the covid-pandemic, tenants and investors are scrutinising building health credentials more closely than ever. ESG performance, leasing attractiveness, and tenant retention are all increasingly tied to occupant experience - and by extension, to air and environmental quality.

Integrating IAQ into the digital ecosystem is a strategic enabler. Smart air quality systems can also lead to reduced maintenance costs through predictive diagnostics, data-rich analytics, and CAFM (Computer Aided Facilities Management) integration, and by extension extend equipment life. They can enhance trust and transparency with occupants, and they provide another measurable metric of building performance.

For facilities managers and operators, real-time IAQ dashboards enable a proactive approach to building and system management. Instead of responding to occupant complaints, facilities management and maintenance teams can intervene before conditions deteriorate, ensuring consistent comfort and reducing liability risks.

IAQ Integration

IAQ data must do more than inform - it must integrate. This means linking air quality data to the BMS, allowing it to adjust airflow, filtration settings, and cooling strategies based on outdoor and indoor conditions, pollutant thresholds and occupancy. Beyond that, IAQ must be considered in the very conceptual purpose of the building, impacting not just building services HVAC and smart building technology, but in material selections of the fabric and fit-out of a building and its spaces, the cleaning protocols and maintenance scheduling; making this information visible and accessible to occupants, building trust and enhancing transparency.

For the majority of building assets, the existing building stock - retrofit solutions are increasingly available, IAQ sensors that can be deployed with minimal disruption, and coupled with informed decision-making on upgrades and modifications to HVAC systems: in terms of selecting high-performance filter upgrades and active air treatment technologies, existing buildings do not have to be left behind.

Taking action

As engineers, developers, and operators, we are the custodians of the indoor environment. In a region where outdoor air can often be challenging, our buildings must become life/health support systems - places where people not only feel comfortable but are genuinely healthier for having spent time inside.

Clean indoor is the foundation of a high-performing, human-centric buildings. As smart building strategies mature with a more human centric approach to the design and implementation, IAQ must be recognised as one of the most impactful, and actionable components of the smart building progression. At Cundall, IAQ, IEQ and smart building integration with the building services system is a core aspect of every design approach.

Air is not invisible, it is invaluable.