In a recent article on Mental Health Today, Bryony Porteous-Sebouhian posed the question: Can noise pollution affect our mental health? In the past, noise pollution both inside and outside the home has been considered a ‘nuisance’ or a mere annoyance, rather than a serious issue …
Building better environments
We keep an eye on issues around the world that affect people and property in the built environment.
The Impact of Air Pollution on the Growth of Newborn Babies
The Impact of Air Pollution on the Growth of Newborn Babies The issue of air pollution has once again come into sharp focus after new research shows it can have a detrimental effect on the growth of newborn babies. This latest study comes from a …
The Role of ‘Healthy Buildings’ in boosting productivity
Recent data from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates that improving indoor air quality in workplaces and offices could add as much as $20 billion annually to the U.S. economy (no comparable European statistic available). Since the outbreak of Covid-19, indoor air quality has been …
An Introduction to Psychoacoustics
Our perception of sound and noise can be based on much more than just the loudness of the sound. To understand how we perceive sound we need to delve into the area of psychoacoustics. Psychoacoustics is the scientific study of the way in which noise …
Open-Plan Offices and Chronic Noise
A new study looking at the average noise levels in offices has found that open-plan offices may be a significant contributor to employee stress levels. A new study looking at the average noise levels in offices has found that open-plan offices may be a significant …
Cork and Dublin Show Promising Results in Latest EEA Report
New data from the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows that despite half of European cities still suffering from poor air quality, Dublin and Cork have cleaner air than average. New data from the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows that despite half of European cities still …
How Environmental Noise Harms the Cardiovascular System
While the world became quieter during periods of pandemic lockdowns in major cities, as businesses start to reopen and something resembling normal life resumes, so too will noise. Prior to Covid-19, a slew of research internationally revealed an increasingly noisy world. While this changed significantly …
Preparing for a return to noisy workplaces
As cities all around the world ease workers back into workplaces, building owners and managers are looking at ways to make this transition easier for people. It has been a long year of disrupted work for most people. While work continued remotely for many over …
How Google is Mapping Air Quality Across Europe
Over the past few years, Google has been fitting many of their Street View cars – which are a familiar sight in towns and cities all around the world – with pollution sensors designed to trackair quality in urban areas. Over the past few years, …
Heart Healthy Cities Enabled By Tech
The smart cities conversation has moved on. Leading city managers and local governments are now focusing on healthy cities, and heart healthy cities in particular, enabled by tech. “Genetics loads the gun but the environment pulls the trigger” The smart cities conversation has moved on. …