Report calls on government to mandate infection-resilient buildings

Indeed, even without the extreme circumstances of a pandemic, improvements to ventilation, air quality and sanitation in buildings could – it is claimed - save the UK economy as much as £8bn a year, by minimising the impact of other infectious diseases such as seasonal flu.  

Based on research commissioned in 2021 by the Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and led by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) the report calls on government to mandate long-term improvements to infection control in commercial, public and residential buildings.

Claiming that many of the UK’s buildings are not being operated according to the current air quality standards - either because they were built to previous standards or are not being used as originally intended – the report makes a series of recommendations aimed at enshrining infection resilience in building regulations.