Case study: Airthings and REair help Istituto Gonzaga to ensure a safe learning environment

Introduction

REair is one of the essential Airthings for Business partners, headquartered in Italy, which specializes in sanitation thanks to its advanced coating solution based on photocatalysis technology. Istituto Gonzaga is one of the largest private schools in Milan, Italy.

After completing the application of the REair Photocatalytic Coating¹ (photocatalysis is a natural process of strong, rapid, and effective oxidative degradation of pollutants and microorganisms spread in the environment) in all Istituto Gonzaga school spaces to sanitize the surfaces and reduce pollutant levels in the treated environments (over 24,000 sq.m. of surface coated), the school management decided to proceed with the installation of the Airthings for Business solution to ensure and maintain a safe and optimal learning environment for students and staff. 

Deployment of the solution started in March 2021, including 40 Space Radon (formerly Wave Plus for Business) monitors and 12 Space Hubs installed in late summer. The monitors are located in main community locations such as classrooms, cafeterias, gyms, the lobby, theatre, and school offices.

The focus

Istituto Gonzaga’s focus is to provide a healthy environment for all the students and staff, which means indoor air quality and climate optimization for more than 1,400 headcounts daily based in their school.

To better understand the indoor air quality status of the school, Istituto Gonzaga started monitoring classrooms and community spaces. Based on the real-time and historical air quality data, powered by the Airthings for Business Dashboard, the school’s facility manager was able to identify areas that needed attention. The Airthings Dashboard provides a full overview of the building’s air quality status, enables centralized and easy access and control of the devices, as well a quick solution to view, compare and export data for a particular need.

Amongst the range of air quality data provided by the Airthings solution, for Istituto Gonzaga and many other schools, the focus is CO₂ levels. 

High CO₂ levels can indicate an overcrowded room or poorly ventilated space, which can increase the risk of virus transmission. It's recommended to keep CO₂ levels below 1000ppm.²

Studies also show that CO₂ levels affect concentration and reduce students learning performance. For instance, a 400-ppm increase in indoor CO₂ is associated with a 21% decrease in cognitive performance.³ 

The importance of indoor air quality

REair and Istituto Gonzaga helped students, teachers, and parents to understand the importance and benefits of indoor air quality monitoring at school. 

The deployment of the Airthings for Business solution by REair enabled school staff to be informed in a timely way about the need to ventilate the classroom and how to manage doors and windows opening with little impact on the climate levels, such as temperature and humidity. 

REair shares air quality reports on a regular basis with recommendations on how to improve air quality. Accessing indoor air quality data is essential to ensure a healthy, trustworthy and productive learning environment. Thanks to the teachers’ support of the project, Istituto Gonzaga succeeded in deploying a harmonized and effective management framework along with good practices to keep indoor air quality as good as possible.

"Effectiveness, sustainability, and duration over time are the key elements for environmental sanitation that concretely protects our school community. Thanks to certified protocols of green sanitation along with traditional methods and the continuous monitoring of the air quality introduced in our school, we successfully managed to maintain a healthy and productive learning environment in the classroom." 
– Roberto Zappalà (Istituto Gonzaga Headmaster)

“The case of Istituto Gonzaga is a perfect example of how effectively it is possible to combine the REair photocatalytic technology with the Airthings for Business air monitoring system. With the purpose to ensure the highest air quality through green and certified processes, we are adopting the innovative Airthings for Business sensors for the excellence of monitoring the indoor air also for several important customers in different business sectors, such as healthcare facilities, airports, educational institutions, HORECA and commercial activities. 

Lastly, the sensors are equipped with autonomous power supply, are easy to install, and do not require any technical and structural modification.”
– Raffaella Moro (CEO & Founder REair)

Sources: 

1. www.reair.it/en/about-us
2.https://files.nc.gov/ncdeq/Environmental%20Assistance%20and%20Customer%20Service/IAS%20Energy%20Efficiency/Opportunities/Ventilation_and_Indoor_Air_Quality.pdf
3. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1510037