#77 - Robert Bean: The Human Element and Building Better Spaces

Episode 77 of the Air Quality Matters podcast, hosted by Simon Jones, titled "#77 - Robert Bean: The Human Element and Building Better Spaces" was published on June 23, 2025 and runs 116 minutes.

June 23, 2025 ·116m · Air Quality Matters

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Summary

Send us a textIndoor environmental quality is about more than just air quality – it encompasses everything our sensory systems experience within built environments. This knowledge provides a framework for creating healthier, more human-centered buildings.• Indoor environmental quality encompasses thermal comfort, acoustics, lighting, vibration, odors, microbiome, and water quality• Neuroscience can help us understand how our brains respond to environmental stressors even when we don't consciously perceive them• The disconnect between building sciences and health sciences despite sharing a common focus on human occupants• Building codes represent minimum standards that unfortunately become maximum efforts in profit-driven construction• Most buildings under 20,000 square feet have no specialised environmental design input• Designing for lifetime housing should include environmental considerations for aging and illness• Performance measurement and accountability could drive significant improvements in building quality• Museums carefully control environments for artefacts, while homes expose both valuables and people to harmful conditions• Education about healthy environments could help consumers demand better spacesRobert Bean LinkedInEdifice Complex PodcastASHRAE Support the showCheck out the Air Quality Matters website for more information, updates and more. And the YouTube Channel The Air Quality Matters Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. Eurovent Farmwood Aereco Aico Ultra Protect Zehnder Group The One Take Podcast is brought to you in partnership with. SafeTraces & InBiot All great companies that share the podcast's passion for better air quality in the built environment. Supporting them helps support the show.

Episode Description

Send us a text

Indoor environmental quality is about more than just air quality – it encompasses everything our sensory systems experience within built environments. This knowledge provides a framework for creating healthier, more human-centered buildings.

• Indoor environmental quality encompasses thermal comfort, acoustics, lighting, vibration, odors, microbiome, and water quality
• Neuroscience can help us understand how our brains respond to environmental stressors even when we don't consciously perceive them
• The disconnect between building sciences and health sciences despite sharing a common focus on human occupants
• Building codes represent minimum standards that unfortunately become maximum efforts in profit-driven construction
• Most buildings under 20,000 square feet have no specialised environmental design input
• Designing for lifetime housing should include environmental considerations for aging and illness
• Performance measurement and accountability could drive significant improvements in building quality
• Museums carefully control environments for artefacts, while homes expose both valuables and people to harmful conditions
• Education about healthy environments could help consumers demand better spaces

Robert Bean LinkedIn

Edifice Complex Podcast

ASHRAE

Support the show

Check out the Air Quality Matters website for more information, updates and more. And the YouTube Channel

The Air Quality Matters Podcast is brought to you in partnership with.

Eurovent Farmwood Aereco Aico Ultra Protect Zehnder Group

The One Take Podcast is brought to you in partnership with.

SafeTraces & InBiot

All great companies that share the podcast's passion for better air quality in the built environment. Supporting them helps support the show.