Air Quality Matters Simon Jones

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Tom Robins - CEO - Switchee

Founded in 2015 by Adam Fudakowski (CEO) and Ian Napier (CCO), they believed that internet-connected technology could be applied to help social landlords better manage their stock and reduce residents' fuel bills. The solution: a smart thermostat designed specifically for landlords with a dashboard providing real-time data and insights, including some of the environmental conditions within the home.

Following Ian’s death in tragic circumstances in 2019, Adam and the team resolved to continue growing the business in his memory.

In 2020 Tom came into the business and a year later promoted to CEO. Under his stewardship, the business has continued to grow.

Tom has spent his career in scale-up leadership roles; Manufacturing Consulting with Newton, Financial Services Analytics with BIPB, A Board Decision Platform with Board Intelligence and Telecommunications with Community Fibre.

He has been working with the Housing Sector since 2015 and believes in
the power of technology to improve the quality of life for residents while transforming the operating model for providers.

Tom is a real people-focused leader with a track record in building and motivating teams. He also has a technical background, with a master's in chemical engineering from the University of Cambridge.

I have followed Switchee’s journey from its early days and have been fascinated by the passion of the people in it and its mission-led approach to data from the built environment. I was intrigued to chat with Tom about Switchee’s lived experience of translating data in a meaningful way, that they genuinely try to answer important questions in the sector and how that potential can be unlocked.

As more and more of the spaces we occupy provide meaningful data about the environment around us, the lessons companies like Switcee are learning could be valuable insight for others.

Moreover, Tom can paint a picture of what scale-up in this space looks like and the potential it holds.

Tom Robins - Linkedin
Switchee 
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Good ventilation and air quality are central to our experience of the built environment.

Unlocking better ventilation and air quality in housing, the workplace and more…. https://www.airqualitymatters.net/

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Dr. Richard Corsi

Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of California, Davis. His team has researched indoor source dynamics, indoor chemistry, and innovative and accessible control technologies for reducing exposure to indoor air pollutants.
During his 24 years as a faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin. He was an endowed research chair and member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers, and served as Director of a National Science Foundation program on Indoor Environmental Science and Engineering that spawned many successful scholars of indoor air science.


Richard's work has been cited in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Economist, Forbes, National Geographic …….


He is a past President of the Academy of Fellows of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ) and past President of the society’s signature conference Indoor Air 2011 in Austin, Texas.


He recently chaired a National Academies committee report on Health Risks of Indoor Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter and Practical Mitigation Solutions. A truly multidisciplinary endevour that has produced a state of the science report that is truly phenomenal. And I think is going to be the go to reference  for some time.


I was really keen to talk to Richard about this report, as his overview of the work is a must listen for anybody working in the built environment, and his ability to bring to life a 270 odd page report in plain english is truly a skill.


I was also keen to talk to one of the people behind the Corsi Rosenthal box, the DIY air cleaner that burst into prominence during the pandemic and turned the sector on its head in many ways.


Ive been looking forward to bringing this conversation to you, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 
Richard Corsi LinkedIn
Richard Corsi UC Davies
National Academies Report
Corsi-Rosenthal Foundation
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Good ventilation and air quality are central to our experience of the built environment.

Unlocking better ventilation and air quality in housing, the workplace and more…. https://www.airqualitymatters.net/

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An article recently published in Science, advocating for air quality standards in public buildings, is a fantastic position from many leading voices in the scientific air quality community.

I spent a little bit of time this week talking about it and some of the issues and challenges with the proposition.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl0677


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Good ventilation and air quality are central to our experience of the built environment.

Unlocking better ventilation and air quality in housing, the workplace and more…. https://www.airqualitymatters.net/

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Dan Hyde

Dan is a UX strategist, researcher, co-host of the Zero Ambitions Podcast (a podcast about sustainability and the built environment), and co-founder of the magazine that ultimately evolved into Passive House Plus.
At Everything is User Experience, Dan and Alex his co-founder develop the strategy that underpins everything from apps and websites, to bid writing, service design, and corporate sustainability communications. 
Working in the built environment, finance, and healthcare sectors, they carry out practical research that can be turned into simple, strategic packages that enable their clients to create experiences that work for all users.
In a full circle, Dan is a partner in a spin-off of the Zero Ambitions podcast, the Zero Ambitions Partnership offering much of the same strategy advice around UX, but focused specifically on the built environment, with Alex and Jeff Colley, the editor and owner of Passive House Plus and co-host of the podcast of the same name.
I wanted Dan on because he is just a great value to talk to anyway. One of his many skills.
However, beyond the performance gap in IAQ and ventilation in general, we have a significant communications gap, both with users of spaces and the stakeholders who deliver and manage them.
Good UX and design in how we structure strategy, communicate it, and provide ongoing support are everything. This chat scratches at some of these ideas.
EIUX website - https://www.everythingisuserexperience.com
EIUX LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/everythingisuserexperience/
Dan’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-hyde-61863112/
Futurebuild panel on YouTube (Does deep retrofit = deep impact Insights) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUIf45yc0wc
ZAP LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/zero-ambitions-podcast
ZAP episodes - https://feeds.transistor.fm/zero-ambitions





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Good ventilation and air quality are central to our experience of the built environment.

Unlocking better ventilation and air quality in housing, the workplace and more…. https://www.airqualitymatters.net/

Send us a Text Message.
This week I ask the question.

If not you then who?

Who is going to measure ventilation in the context of retrofit assessment and other housing scenarios, beyond competent ventilation installers and assessors, and how might that look?

It was a question I raised in response to the publication of the RICS Residential Retrofit Standard.

Have a listen and let me know what you think

RICS Residential Retrofit Standard

Air quality matters in housing 
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Good ventilation and air quality are central to our experience of the built environment.

Unlocking better ventilation and air quality in housing, the workplace and more…. https://www.airqualitymatters.net/

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A Conversation with Ellora Coupe

Discover how Ellora Coupe, founder of Her Own Space, is transforming the renovation and retrofit industry for women homeowners. Join us, where Ellora shares her innovative strategies that are making air quality and ventilation relatable and actionable. With her unique blend of branding expertise and renovation savvy, she advocates for healthier living environments and provides a platform that empowers women to take charge of their homes.

Collaboration and trust are key in the realm of home retrofit. Through Her Own Space, Ellora has cultivated a thriving community of over 3,000 women who support each other through the trials and triumphs of retrofit projects.

If you listen to the podcast, you have probably heard me talk several times about the need to better frame subjects like air quality in the built environment. To understand stakeholder needs and find ways to communicate in more effective ways.

I have a lot of respect for Ellora; she has created in her own space a place of story telling, knowledge building and trust. Something we could learn a lot from in nieces like air quality and ventilation.

Learn how to understand a stakeholder group, in this case, women in retrofit, renovation, and home building. But more importantly, open communication up into a dialogue—a conversation, a network.

Ellora Coupe - LinkedIn
Her Own Space
Her Own Space - Facebook



Support the Show.
Good ventilation and air quality are central to our experience of the built environment.

Unlocking better ventilation and air quality in housing, the workplace and more…. https://www.airqualitymatters.net/