We spend around 90% of our lives indoors. Yet good air is often only noticed when it is missing.
Indoor air quality affects our health, concentration and wellbeing every day. Why good air is about far more than comfort, and why it should become as fundamental to modern buildings as clean drinking water.
Until 2020, air quality was rarely discussed outside specialist circles. Ventilation systems remained largely invisible, integrated into walls and ceilings. For many people, the importance of healthy indoor air was barely recognised.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed that almost overnight. Terms such as CO₂, aerosols and indoor air entered news coverage and public debate. Air suddenly became visible. For the first time, a wider audience began to consider the role that air quality plays in health and safety.
Today, the topic attracts far less attention. The importance of good air, however, has not changed.
Health & performance
Indoor environments
Poor air quality can cause fatigue, reduce concentration and contribute to headaches. These relationships are well established scientifically. High indoor air quality supports wellbeing in schools, offices, hospitals and many other types of building.
Yet good air is still often viewed as a comfort feature. In reality, it is far more significant. Good air supports health, performance and wellbeing, influencing essential aspects of everyday life.
»Good air is not a matter of comfort. It is a matter of health protection.«
Udo Jung, Member of the Executive Board, TROX SE, and Board Member of the Air-handling Technology Association within VDMA
When discussing good air, the conversation is no longer limited to comfort. Increasingly, the question is what role healthy indoor air should play in future buildings and whether it should be regarded as an essential component of building quality.
Against this backdrop, discussions around Building Type E are gaining attention in Germany. The initiative aims to make buildings easier, faster and more cost-effective to deliver.
Those who plan buildings influence far more than construction costs. They shape the environments in which people learn, work and live. Good air is therefore not a technical detail. It is part of building quality.
For years, associations, professional organisations and initiatives such as Good Air in Schools have worked to raise public awareness of healthy indoor air.
The energy transition is often associated with heat pumps, insulation and renewable energy. Yet energy-efficient buildings only perform well over the long term when air exchange is considered as well. Modern ventilation systems remove stale air, moisture and pollutants in a controlled manner while continuously supplying fresh air.
Heat recovery plays a particularly important role by linking indoor air quality with energy efficiency. Good air and sustainable construction are therefore not competing priorities. They reinforce one another.
The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) places greater emphasis on Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) within building design and refurbishment.
The objective is clear: energy efficiency should not be achieved at the expense of health, comfort or indoor air quality. As a result, good air is increasingly becoming a fixed requirement in the planning and modernisation of buildings.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
High indoor air quality supports health, concentration, wellbeing and performance. Since people spend most of their lives indoors, indoor air quality directly affects everyday life.
Poor air quality can cause fatigue, impair concentration and reduce performance. Good air supports focused learning and productive work.
They provide controlled air exchange, remove pollutants and moisture, and continuously supply fresh air.
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) describes the overall quality of indoor environments. It includes air quality, thermal comfort and other factors that influence health and wellbeing.
Modern systems with heat recovery combine controlled ventilation with efficient energy use, helping buildings achieve both objectives simultaneousl
