What is COVID-19 Building Readiness?

A year ago, no one was using the term “Building Readiness.” Now everyone from ASHRAE to the CDC to tenants and their legal representatives are talking about readiness topics including Air Changes per Hour, MERV Ratings, Virus Kill Rates and more.

We’ve seen building owners and managers take various approaches toward addressing readiness concerns. The minimalists have relied on in-house personnel to assess existing building systems, evaluate devices on the market, and respond to occupant inquiries. The maximalists have hired outside firms to perform extensive and costly indoor air quality testing, often resulting in lengthy reports filled with data, but lacking clear conclusions or direction.

Servidyne’s approach is based on the famous maxim from Albert Einstein:  “Everything Should Be Made as Simple as Possible, But Not Simpler.”

Our HVAC and Water System Readiness Assessment provides a cost-effective third-party consulting evaluation of existing building systems and operations, including a risk assessment and recommended risk mitigation measures, applying ASHRAE and CDC guidance to the specific conditions of each building. We complete a comprehensive checklist with the property team, documenting attributes of the building systems and current operating practices, and recommending further measures as appropriate. The deliverables include a one-page public-facing snapshot report highlighting HVAC and water system readiness features and actions taken to reduce risk to building occupants.

Through our experience performing these assessments across multiple portfolios, we have been able to provide sound and consistent strategies, sharing best practices from the top performers and shoring up efforts where they have been lagging.

And one other thing:  Sometimes it’s just as important to know what NOT to do, as it is to know what to do. That is certainly the case in considering the myriad of COVID-19 “solutions” on the market. Some products are outright snake oil, some have promise but are unproven, some come with potential adverse side effects, some use proven technology that can be easily misapplied, and some might be useful for higher-risk situations but are otherwise unnecessary. And all are promoted with seemingly very convincing marketing material that warrants close scrutiny.

Whether you’re interested in an overall readiness assessment or just want an informed opinion on this or that product offering, we’re available to help.