The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted our need for clean and safe air – in our homes, our schools, our workplace, and all of the indoor places we visit. The way we interact with indoor spaces and our attitudes to enclosed spaces has changed, perhaps forever.
We expect to see air quality and ventilation increasingly high up on the list of priorities for building occupiers, with proof of indoor air quality and inspections of ventilation and air cleaning systems a requirement when signing a new lease, or simply returning to the workplace post-lockdown.
Whilst it is one thing to circulate clean air indoors, it is another to ensure it is Covid-secure – safe of viruses and bacteria.
In recent weeks, scientists have become aware that one of the major methods of transmission of viruses is via fine ‘aerosol’ droplets, typically between 1 and 10 microns in size, emitted as one talks, sneezes or coughs. This is of particular concern in a conference room or any small enclosed space where people are in close contact.
At Pexhurst, we pride ourselves on leading from the front in seeking new innovations and testing them. We want to be on the front foot utilising the latest technology to assist our clients and ensure their assets and indoor spaces are safe for occupiers to return to.
There are many products out in the marketplace that provide clean air to indoor spaces, but we have only seen one air filtration system that works with Covid-19 SARS 2 – Aura Air.
The product is being used by a number of large scale organisations across the world, and is currently, what is believed to be, the first filter/disinfection system in the world undergoing clinical trials to test its efficacy, specifically in relation to killing the Covid-19 SARS 2 virus.
We will be trialling the technology in our Head Office boardroom this month.
How does Aura Air work?
The majority of clean air systems use HEPA filters. Whilst they do capture fine droplets of bacteria and virus, they do not kill them. If these are not cleaned regularly, they will harbour viruses and bacteria and enable them to colonise in the filters.
Aura Air aims to provide both safe and clean air in enclosed spaces of <60m2, such as offices and conference rooms. The high powered unit recycles and purifies all the air in a 25m2, six times every hour – the same standard as recommended for hospitals.
The technology combines three core elements:
- Patented Sterionizer – which sends out positive and negative ions into the air. Oxidants break down the protein structure of viruses and bacteria, rendering them harmless.
- UV-C light- to kill the virus
- Patented impregnated Copper HEPA filter – this captures the virus and kills it
The HEPA Ray filter which also has a Carbon filter to capture VOC’s and bad odours, only needs to be replaced every six months, and can be done by an unskilled operator within seconds.
The unit fully integrates with smartphones or tablets via its free app, providing detailed information on air quality, including the level of the micron particles. Its Pm2.5 and Pm10 measurements detect the quantity of aerosol droplets caused by sneezing, coughing or singing.
It is great to see such innovative products on the market, leading the way in reducing our risk to Coronavirus. The built environment is so important to our everyday lives that the property industry must work together to find innovations, such as Aura Air, to help our clients and the building’s end-user to return with confidence, knowing that their building is safe.
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