Can a building help you heal: Part II

Air is totally underrated.

Usually we ignore it. If we’re not ignoring it, we’re probably complaining. “It’s too hot / cold / windy / dry / humid …”

Yet it’s one of the fundamental requirements for life. Study after study has shown the impact that air quality can have on health and well-being. For many people, poor indoor air quality is at the center of environmental issues causing very real medical problems.

When designing Case Integrative Health’s new clinic, we decided that investing in a system to provide pristine air was fundamental. So we engineered a four-part process to insure our space is not only comfortable, but delivers some of the cleanest air you’ll breathe - free of particulate matter, biological particles, gases, and VOCs.

First, look up! You’ll see A LOT of duct work. What many would see as overkill, we see as investment. All

Air ducts are exposed at CIH to provide access - allowing us to upgrade filters as new technology comes out.

that infrastructure allows us to fully exchange the air in our space in 6 minutes. This forces the air in our clinic through our filtration systems over 200 times each day.

Second, every supply vent in our duct work will have a HEPA filter in it. These filters trap 99.97% of particulate matter down to 0.3 micrometers (µm) in diameter. (Mold spores, for comparison, are typically 1-100 µm in diameter). These are changed every 30 days.

Third, if something does manage to make it through the HEPA filters, you’ll see Molekule air filters throughout our space. Some of the newest technology on the market, these filters destroy biological matter rather than trapping them.

Lastly, CIH uses the world's original air filtration system, plants, to filter out gasses. Our green friends will be doing more than providing decoration. They'll be working hard to clean the air 24 / 7 / 365.

So when you come for your appointment at Case Integrative Health, take a moment to breathe deeply and appreciate that underrated element – air.