Ventilation and air treatment in commercial buildings

Ventilation is designed to address four major concerns:

• the hygiene of the air we breathe in the workplace and in public places;

• occupant comfort ;

• personal safety with respect to concentrations of dust or pollutants ;

• preservation of the building, in particular by avoiding condensation.

Ventilation regulations for commercial buildings are still very limited. Only the standard departmental health regulations (RSDT), the Labor Code and the Évin law deal with the issue, imposing minimum air renewal rates to protect the health and comfort of occupants.

It is important to consult the Guide pratique pour une meilleure qualité de l'air dans les lieux accueillant des enfants ( ).

Today, we spend an average of 80% of our time - and even 90% for children - indoors, alternating between our homes, public transport, workplaces, schools and shopping malls. Yet buildings, designed to be less and less energy-intensive, are increasingly airtight. The ongoing quest for energy savings is leading to the confinement of our space, sometimes to the detriment of ventilation, and therefore air quality.

But good air quality is essential! If we can go 30 days without eating and 3 days without drinking, we can hardly go more than 3 minutes without breathing.

Since its creation in 2001, the Observatoire de la qualité de l'air (OQAI) has been carrying out measurement campaigns in different types of buildings to understand the situation and identify the levers for action to be implemented, in partnership with the ANSES (Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire).