Commercial Real Estate Focus on Air Quality and Clean Air Technology

From healthcare to retail to offices, commercial real estate buildings house the heart of productive commerce, and the employees who work in them. Increasingly, professionals in commercial leasing are prioritizing the health, safety and wellness of building occupants. What may have started as an abundance of caution during the COVID-19 pandemic is fast becoming business as usual. One of the most powerful solutions being implemented, and one for which commercial real estate building owners are directly responsible, is clean air initiatives.

Hartman Income REIT Management, Inc. wins award for COVID-Inspired ‘Clean Air Initiative”.

Hartman’s Clean Air Initiative has set a gold standard for indoor air quality in the Houston, Dallas and San Antonio areas of Texas and beyond. Our award-winning initiative for clean air promoted new practices for improving air quality in office buildings and commercial spaces. We are dedicated to responding to the changing needs of tenants, and proud that our property management teams have embraced research-backed technology for cleaner indoor air.

Read on to learn more about the research behind new clean air technology, and how Hartman properties in Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston are readily equipped with health and safety practices that ensure peace of mind.

Air Quality for Healthier and Safer Commercial Spaces

The commercial real estate industry was undoubtedly disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. As experts scrambled to dedensify office spaces and enact new cleaning and social distancing procedures, one issue took center stage: air quality. In the last 50 years, widespread issues led to standard practices in radon testing, mandatory carbon monoxide alarms, and air quality ratings. The latter is a topic that has become even more studied, and researchers have found that certain types of high-quality, multi-stage air cleaning technology has the power to remove bacteria, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and allergens from the air. What’s more, certain clean air technologies and advanced air ionization can deactivate viruses like the coronavirus.

Movements like the ULI Building Healthy Places Initiative showcase building owners’ ongoing commitment to health-oriented building changes, many of which are here to stay. The air quality in buildings is not only a point of interest, it’s a selling point that shows a landlord’s attention and care to tenants.

What is Air Quality in Office Buildings?

While many systems exist to test for specific components in indoor air — such as radon, carbon monoxide, or other gases — indoor air quality is impacted by numerous factors. These include housekeeping chemicals, pesticide applications, occupants activities, and even furnishings that can release toxins into the air. The importance of air quality in office buildings is underscored by the delineation of “Sick Building Syndrome.” Similar to Building Related Illness, Sick Building Syndrome is often related to indoor environmental factors, including poor indoor air quality, and results in fatigue, headaches, throat irritation, and more.

Odors, mold, cleanliness, and chemicals are often connected to Sick Building Syndrome and related occupant discomfort. The first step building owners can take is to test indoor air quality. There are simple tests that can be purchased online, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency has simple remediation techniques that work for most spaces. These include monitoring the presence of things like mold, combustion pollutants, or secondhand smoke. The EPA also recommends improving indoor air through humidifier controls, controlling pollution sources, and changing filters in HVAC systems.

In the Richardson Tech Center in Richardson, Texas, 100% tenant-controlled HVAC was installed. This puts the power in the hands of tenants and optimizes both comfort and indoor air quality.

Clean Air Technology: Needlepoint Bi-Polar Ionization

New clean air technology is the key to effectively mitigating risk and purifying indoor air. The cutting-edge solution now attracting wide scale adoption is needlepoint bi-polar ionization. Ionic clean air technology offers an ozone-free air purification option that leverages chemical reactions, effectively removing bacteria, viruses, and VOCs from the air.

Needlepoint bi-polar ionization technology neutralizes ions in the air. Through an HVAC attachment, charged ions are circulated through the air in a building. As the ions disperse, the form bonds with particulates. These particulates cluster together and any harmful elements they contain are effectively filtered out. This cycle continues as the HVAC functions, ensuring a steady stream of clean air.

Hartman Income REIT was an early adopter of this technology, and is investing nearly half a million dollars in air quality improvements by the end of 2021.

Al Hartman, Chairman and CEO, expresses the vision this way: “The health and safety of our tenants has always been and always will be our number one priority. We are constantly looking for alternative ways to improve our tenants’ experiences at our properties. This investment offers protection and peace of mind to our tenants and their patrons.”

Hartman’s Director of Operations for Property Management, Angel Gonzales, echoes Hartman’s sentiments, saying, “The fact that Hartman cares so much about our tenants that we are implementing leading edge technology like the ionization system is incredible. One of the most common questions we are asked by a prospective tenant is building health and safety. So, to be able to tell them about our clean air initiative is a very compelling advantage we have over other buildings they might be considering.”

This prioritization is catching on, and as companies support a safe return to the office, employees are breathing easier in buildings with clean air.

In a Health-First Era: Clean Air Matters

Landlords are making strategic investments in cleaner air, both for the security of current tenants and to attract new ones. The health and safety of a building is a high priority for new office lessees. In the world of commercial real estate, it is vital to listen to the needs of people. For many, indoor air quality is a growing point of concern, and one that can impact their decision to sign on the dotted line.

For the ultimate peace of mind, lease a business space with the team of CRE professionals at Hartman Income REIT. Many Hartman buildings and executive suites use clean air technology, and our team is dedicated to remaining at the forefront of this important movement toward clean indoor air.

Danny Abramov