The air we breathe, whether indoors or outside, can directly impact our health. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air pollution can be 2 to 10 times higher than outdoors, while a recent study led by Harvard researchers confirmed indoor pollution and CO2 levels can impact human cognition. As people today spend the majority of their time indoors, looking beyond just air quality to consider overall indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is increasingly important.
According to healthy building thought leaders, such as the International WELL Building Institute™ and Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, IEQ is influenced by multiple factors including acoustics, light, air quality and thermal comfort.
At Armstrong, we continue to deepen our commitment to healthy spaces through our own product lines, as well as innovative industry partnerships. In 2022, we expanded our partnership with Price Industries, a leader in air devices and purification systems, to deliver products that improve IEQ. With our combined expertise in building materials and air systems, our collaboration with Price will allow us to generate industry-leading holistic solutions for IEQ. Our first joint product—StrataClean IQ™ , is a simple-to-install air filtration system designed to capture airborne pathogens and particulates to help create cleaner, healthier indoor air quality.
We have also partnered with industry thought leaders to further improve our products and their contributions to healthy IEQ. In 2021, we began partnering with 9 Foundations, Inc. (9F), an independent scientific advisory firm founded by Dr. Joseph G. Allen, associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and director of Harvard’s Healthy Buildings Program. 9F will work with Armstrong in its continued focus on manufacturing ceiling and wall solutions based on the most advanced healthy building science and design.