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The most recent pandemic changed the view of indoor climate, and already as the virus disrupted daily life on a global scale, research and academia went to work to understand the challenges of airborne virus transmission. At the intersection where general indoor climate factors overlap, mechanical ventilation emerged as a key component in creating resilient buildings.
At the time of the pandemic, everyone had to learn how to live and cope in real time, often trial and error was the way forward and effective measures were intensely debated. Today, well-founded and statistically proven research related to the pandemic is available, and it is possible to draw conclusions based on more solid evidence than what was done in the spring of 2020.
Building design plays a significant role in research which is likely because the temporary solutions found during the pandemic have proven unsuitable or insufficient for long-term or permanent use. It has also been found that architecture and interior design also can help to better cope with future pandemics but the key component mentioned is mechanical ventilation. Relying on opening windows was a quick way forward during Covid but can negatively affect the indoor climate through noise, draughts and vast temperature changes. At the same time, many buildings that were equipped with ventilation solutions faced limitations in air supply capacity and insufficient ventilation methods led to substantial energy waste. With this in mind, recommendations for future pandemic resilience increasingly place mechanical ventilation at the centre stage.
This paper focuses on the role of mechanical ventilation and consider details of these solutions, such as air filtration, monitoring, airflow control etc. The result is a comprehensive, research-based guide for understanding how to create indoor climate resilient buildings.
