It is likely that covid is not the last pandemic that humanity has been forced to deal with. Not surprisingly, many scientific teams are currently focusing on indoor air quality issues – especially how to limit the spread of viruses in buildings. One of the fields through which the safety and quality of indoor air can be significantly influenced is construction.

The relationship between indoor air and the spread of infections is an area that research teams are currently intensively working on. Diseases associated with viruses and bacteria have in common that they spread mainly indoors. It is therefore related to buildings in many respects – what is important is how and in what quantities people move and behave here, how the indoor air circulates and how the buildings are designed from an architectural point of view. Airborne transmission of viruses has been a key factor in many previous epidemics – such as influenza, smallpox, and now COVID-19. We already know this, but this in itself does not simplify the search for ways to prevent such transmission or at least to eliminate it more fundamentally. Any change for the better in this direction is a huge benefit both in terms of protecting people's health and economically.

In recent years, we have seen that climate change is leading to increasingly extreme temperature fluctuations, which often occur unexpectedly fast. Such fluctuations also place new demands on existing ventilation, heating and cooling systems in buildings, as all these systems are interconnected with outdoor air.

When changing the concept of buildings, it is therefore necessary, on the one hand, to take into account the issue of climate change and epidemiological risks, but at the same time, on the other hand, to think about minimizing the consumption of energy and resources. So that it does not happen that the building will prevent the spread of infection but at the same time contribute to the further acceleration of climate change. Since our inception in 2008, we have built our business on a balance between an ecological and at the same time economical solution that is as safe as possible from a health point of view.

Will we learn?

Unfortunately, the current challenges in the form of the covid pandemic or climate change show that the areas are still not receiving the sufficient attention they deserve from developers and investors. We can see that buildings and indoor spaces are in most cases not able to offer a safe environment to their inhabitants in terms of indoor air quality, unfortunately despite the fact that suitable technologies have existed on the market for years. In addition, in view of the changes in the Earth's ecosystem, it is to be expected that we will also encounter new types of airborne diseases. The question is what other warnings do we need...

We at GeoCore are ready. Our technologies have ensured a safe and comfortable stay inside buildings for countless customers for years.