Air quality consulting
Minimising emissions and exposure to air pollution in the built environment
Poor air quality is a growing global issue, impacting the health and wellbeing of billions internationally. Our air quality team plays a role in minimising emissions and exposure to air pollution in the built environment through expert design input and comprehensive assessments.
Air pollution is associated with numerous health impacts and creates far-reaching issues, including economic impact, ecological degradation and crop destruction. We must strive to improve air quality on a local, regional, and international scale to protect health and help build towards a more sustainable and biodiverse future.
In recent years, air quality has become a material consideration in the planning system. Robust and thorough assessment, including technical analysis, is required to demonstrate that new developments do not worsen local air quality or introduce additional exposure in an area of poor air quality. In some locations, certain new developments must now demonstrate how they actively improve local air quality.
Buro Happold’s specialist scientists and consultants have extensive and in-depth experience in addressing air quality issues, offering expert advice through the full life-cycle of a project: from design to planning, to construction and finally occupancy. Using state-of-the-art air quality dispersion models in our assessments, we work closely with transportation, energy, utilities and building services teams to find innovative solutions to minimise air quality impact and safeguard the health of future site users.
The most effective way to achieve this is to identify air quality constraints and opportunities early, whether during site acquisition or through the design process and ensure that the emerging design is air quality sensitive. We provide a wide range of services to private and public sector clients in the UK and internationally.
Areas of expertise
Air quality consultancy and design advice
Our air quality expertise and wealth of experience allows our team to provide a wide range of assessments to suit our clients needs. We have built a strong rapport with our collaborators, both internal and external, which helps us work efficiently and produce accurate and cohesive assessments.
Air quality modelling and monitoring
Robust air quality assessment and valuable air quality design advice must be informed by robust qualitative tools. Dispersion modelling and air quality monitoring provide these methods and our expertise allows us to utilise them effectively.
Odour assessment
Odour impacts can lead to loss of amenity, complaints and can even amount to a statutory nuisance. Where odour is likely to be an issue at a new development, we are able to assess odour exposure levels that will be experienced by users and provide advice on mitigation as required.
Indoor air quality
Good indoor air quality is essential to provide a healthy and productive environment, which is why it forms part of several building certification schemes including BREEAM, WELL, RESET and LEED, as well as increasingly becoming a design consideration.
We provide advice to our clients to allow them to have the best possible indoor air quality in their developments. This can be in the form of an indoor air quality plan which plays a role in BREEAM certification, but also can provide a strategy and framework to create healthy buildings and safeguard the health and wellbeing of building occupants.
Our specialist air quality services include:
- Air quality planning assessments as standalone reports or as part of an Environmental Statement
- Air quality design advice and masterplan design input
- Construction dust assessments
- Air quality positive statements
- Air quality neutral assessments
- Ambient air quality monitoring
- Odour assessments
- Indoor air quality assessment and planning
- Site feasibility assessments
- Constraints and opportunities studies
- Low emissions strategies
Project highlights
Blackwall Yard
London, UK
Buro Happold was appointed as a multidisciplinary engineering consultant by Hadley Property Group. Air quality was a key constraint on the site due to the proximity to a nearby ventilation shaft serving the Blackwall Tunnel, backup generators and a major arterial road.
Through close collaboration with Buro Happold’s MEP and acoustic engineering experts, along with the architects, the scheme was designed to put wellbeing first and help protect residents and visitors from air and noise pollution.
Natural History Museum
London, UK
Buro Happold undertook a vast scope of work on the improvement and future-proofing of the Natural History Museum. Our air quality consultants undertook a planning assessment and helped to ensure the new urban garden was designed to minimise exposure to the high pollutant concentrations present across the capital.
