Project Completed
Updates for the HAL Nursery Annual Industry
Report.
Project No:
NY06021
Project Title: Greening the
Great Indoors for Human Health and Well-Being
This 3-year project was undertaken to
advance an understanding of the
benefits of potted-plants on indoor air
quality and the wellbeing of building occupants, to
contribute to ‘greening the city’ for sustainable
urban communities. Over 80% of Australians live in
urban areas, and spend 90% of their time indoors.
The quality of the indoor environment is therefore
critical to our health, and indoor air is virtually
always more polluted than outside. Urban air
pollution is a national health concern, its costs
being estimated at $12 billion p.a.
The project comprised laboratory trials of volatile
organic compound (VOC) removal, with three untried
species (bringing to 12 the species
laboratory-tested by the UTS team); an office study
of minimum numbers of plants required to reduce VOCs
and CO2; a preliminary examination of
whether plants could, undesirably, (as suggested by
several authors) increase airborne mould spore
loads; and an investigation of the extent of effects
of plants on psychological wellbeing of building
occupants.
The laboratory trials confirmed the species tested
have similar strong capacities to remove VOCs as the
nine species previously tested by UTS. The office
study recorded some VOC and CO2
reductions, but less marked than in our earlier
office studies, probably because of greater
efficiency of more modern air conditioning systems,
and inadequate lighting. R&D is required to
optimise plant contribution to CO2
removal, which is clearly achievable with more
advanced horticultural technology. However, no
significant effects of plants were found on mould
counts or types; indoor counts were very low – down
to about one twentieth of outdoor loads. Also,
highly significant reductions in negative mood
states were found with plants – and one plant can
make the difference. Recommendations for further
R&D are presented in the Final Report of the
project, which has been submitted to HAL
(15/02/2010).
Read the full report.
(Prof) Margaret Burchett
Project Leader
Plants and Indoor
Environmental Quality Group
Centre for
Environmental Sustainability (CEnS)
UTS
Address
correspondence to:
Prof Margaret
Burchett
Faculty of Science,
UTS
PO Box 123,
Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia
Margaret.Burchett@uts.edu.au
Project Commencement
HAL CONFIRMS
INTERIOR PLANTSCAPE INDUSTRY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT FUNDING ALLOCATION
Your
National Interior Plantscape Association in
collaboration with Dr Margaret Burchett, University of
Technology, Sydney, has prepared the outline of a
Research and Development project, Greening the
Great Indoors for Human Health and Well-Being
aimed at providing evidence of the ability of indoor
plants to improve the health, well-being and
productivity of office staff; to determine if low
numbers of plants can be beneficial to both human health
and indoor air quality; to provide information on plant
numbers, types and placement in offices for optimum
health-promoting benefits; and, to obtain information
on a new, previously untested interior plant variety as
regards its ability to remove volatile organic compounds
(VOCs).
Horticulture
Australia Limited has now confirmed that this R & D
Project has received a significant funding allocation to
be provided over the next three years.
From the
Research & Development to date globally, we know that
indoor plants can improve office air quality but we do
not know if this translates directly into improved
health, well-being and productivity of office workers.
As well, we have not established the minimum number of
plants required to improve air quality in an office.
Whilst "green views outside" or "contact with nature"
have been demonstrated to have restorative powers for
humans, very little research has been carried out into
the "green indoors" and its effects on human well-being.
The US
National Science and Technology Council has catalogued
over 900 papers from more than 100 journals and
conferences. Europe also has a very large body of
technically sound studies and documentation linking
health and productivity with specific building designs
and operations. The University of Technology Sydney
(Australia) based Project Research Team with which NIPA
is working to make this project happen, are the global
leaders in this field of R & D and are currently
completing complimentary laboratory and office field
studies through the University of Technology, Sydney On
the basis of these and earlier findings, the Green
Building Council of Australia has recently moved in the
right direction by adopting a "Green Star" rating for
the inclusion of indoor plants in new buildings.
However,
further R & D is needed to convince building managers
and occupants that the indoor potted plant microcosm
(PPM) is indeed a remedy for the 400 volatile organic
compounds (VOC's) identified in indoor air, coming from
outdoor air. NIPA and the global leaders in this area
of research based at UTS are committed to undertake this
much needed further research and development.
The cost of
undertaking such a major research project far exceeds
the capacity of the Australian interior plantscape
industry as it is made up of many, many micros
businesses. The cost is also beyond the capacity of any
industry association or educational institution. To
this end, late last year NIPA applied for a funding
allocation to Horticulture Australia Limited who has
enabled many worthwhile research and development
projects to be undertaken with their financial support.
The issues
to be addressed through this R & D include questions
about indoor plants in the workplace that are commonly
asked by professionals in the interior plantscape
industry, office workers, building owners and managers
and other would-be buyers of indoor plants are: "Do
indoor plants really make a difference on how people
feel at work?". "Can one or two indoor plants really
have an effect on indoor air quality?" and, "How many
plants are actually needed?". These "issues" will be
addressed and reported in a manner that can be applied
by all the various professionals.
Interior
plantscapers will receive the research findings as
Industry Fact Sheets and in industry journal articles
which they can use in business negotiations. The
findings will be available on CD in building manager
"speak" to achieve maximum education and awareness for
all. The final stage of this R & D project is to
achieve maximum exposure through a professionally
managed mass media campaign progressively implemented
internationally.
The primary
target is building managers, local government and
property developers with awareness linked to the
interior plantscaping industry. Target audiences will
be accessed through a multi-national awareness campaign
progressively implemented concurrently with the release
of the project's research findings.
Both NIPA
and the UTS team believe interest in the research
findings will be in demand as it is cutting edge and
supports moves already afoot to ensure Greening
Buildings is the way of future local governments,
developers and building managers. The growing concern
for litigation related to Sick Building Syndrome will
ensure commercialization of the IT. The implications of
the research findings will be readily available across
all building, design, interiorscaping and community
sectors.
The benefits
to industry will be the empowerment with knowledge of
industry professionals; estimates of productivity
increases by office workers gained from improved IEQ
vary from zero to as high as 30-50 per cent. Increased
numbers of CH2 type buildings, greater environmental
awareness by office employees and unions, reduced
litigation related to VOCs in the workplace. The bottom
line will be relief for interiorscapers who can look
forward to supporting their current assertions with
quality Australian based research in the future...
