Prof. Erica Hartmann writes about designing for a healthy indoor environment

The latest issue of The Bridge, a quarterly publication from the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), focuses on “microbiomes of the built environment.” This topic is especially salient given the amount of time we spend in built environments, including homes, schools, and offices, and the outsized role that tiny microbes play in human health and environmental quality. Erica M. Hartmann, Associate Professor of Environmental Microbiology in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, contributed an article summarizing engineering and design parameters that need to be considered for creating “healthful” buildings. In the article, she discusses effective and energy-efficient ventilation, mindful use of chemical cleaners, and equitable access to these technologies. While the piece covers many pitfalls of current engineering and design practices that might adversely affect human and environmental health, Hartmann ends on an optimistic note, citing new developments in building standards and maintenance practices that promise to holistically enhance occupant safety and comfort while also reducing carbon and energy demand.

 

The Bridge’s readership includes members of congress and other federal agencies, and the publication highlights topics of societal relevance in engineering for the purpose of informing NAE members, legislators, and the general public. The current issue, edited by Chuck Haas, NAE member and LD Betz Professor of Environmental Engineering at Drexel University, and Vivian Loftness, Paul Mellon Chair and University Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, focuses on topics pertaining to microbial exposures and infectious disease (notably SARS-CoV-2 and covid-19) but also touches more broadly on strategies for improving health and wellbeing through built environments and buildings.

 

Hartmann’s article, along with the rest of the issue, is available for open access via the NAE website: Link to the article