Reviewing Buildings Management Measures to Curtail Airborne Infections

Abstract

The high mortality and morbidity rates of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to an
explosion of research on studying the dynamics of the survival and transmission of its causative agent, as well as other
airborne pathogens. This has resulted in a plethora of information on the role of building design in the spread of
microorganisms associated with respiratory diseases. Consequently, it appears that in most settings, the construction
and maintenance of residential and commercial buildings did not prioritize the risk posed by airborne pathogens, and
thus were ill-prepared for the likely occurrence of a respiratory disease outbreak. For property proprietors and
operations managers, upgrading such buildings is a big task. To evaluate the efficacy of the available options, this
article examines recent studies and construction operational initiatives for the prevention of indoor respiratory
infections from the viewpoint of building managers. After reviewing the background, strategies, techniques, and results
covered in these articles, the paper concluded that there are three types of building management (BM) interventions for
preventing respiratory viruses from spreading in existing buildings: Hard Services (such as maintenance of Sewage
and Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems) to prevent aerosol transmission and Soft Services to prevent
droplet transmission. The study also emphasized the necessity of conducting BM intervention studies that consider
occupant behaviors in conjunction with unified results of intervention and help inform BM solution decision-making.
The review broadens our understanding of BM’s role in controlling the spread of airborne diseases and identifies
possible areas for future research.