Why air quality in offices will be even more important after the pandemic

Our way of working has been forever changed due to the coronavirus. But as Swedes are preparing for yet another season of working from home, others are preparing for the day when we can return to our offices.

Axel G. Hammar, CEO of Smart Sensor Devices, one of Urban ICT Arena’s partners, is anticipating an increased focus on smarter and safer offices.

– The understanding of how the indoor environment affects our health, well-being and, most importantly, the quality of our work, has steadily increased. Due to the pandemic, this trend has accelerated.

Of course, good air quality alone will not stop the spread of the coronavirus. And our offices will probably need to be more spacious moving forward, or at least allow for distancing during meetings. But Hammar sees air quality as part of a larger context – making office workers feel secure.

– If office workers have data and knowledge of their office environment, it will contribute to a sense of security.

– We have developed a system of connected sensors for measuring air quality in real-time, including temperature, humidity, particles, CO2 and VOC. All the data is stored in the cloud and can be processed for different purposes, including controlling ventilation, heat, and air condition. We have also developed an app that enables office workers to look at the data and see for themselves how good the air quality is.

And while the pandemic has made it obvious that technology allows for working remotely, Hammar still believes that we need our offices.

– We will need our offices for physical meetings and for tasks that are impossible to do from home. But they will need to be adapted.

Smart Sensor Devices is also measuring the outdoor air quality in Kista through Urban ICT Arena’s testbed. Read more about that here.