Is Peer Review Built on Sand? Why the 'Gold Standard' May Be Failing Air Quality Science
This week, I step back from the interviews to share a personal reflection on a question that has been nagging at me for some time, sparked by recent encounters with dubious manufacturer claims, the fallout from a prominent Cambridge professor scandal, and my own complicity in wielding peer review as a weapon against innovation: What if the single biggest barrier to progress in air quality and the built environment isn't a lack of good ideas or new technology—but our complete failure to recognise that…
When Windows Become Hazards: How Heat Waves and Ozone Are Changing Indoor Air - #OT53
This week, we dive into a modelling study published in Environmental Science, Processes and Impacts titled Long-Term Prediction of Climate Change Impacts on Indoor Particulate Pollution, a case study of residential buildings, to explore a question that fundamentally challenges how we think about natural ventilation and climate adaptation: What if the single biggest barrier to maintaining healthy indoor air quality in the coming decades isn't just outdoor pollution—but our complete failure to recognise…
Ten Lessons from Indoor Air 2026 and a summer of conversation.
This week, I step back from the interviews to share a personal reflection on the conversations, themes and patterns that have emerged over the last few weeks, both on this podcast and in the halls and sessions of Indoor Air 2026 in Singapore. What if the single biggest barrier to transforming the built environment isn't our lack of scientific knowledge or technology—but our complete failure to recognise the deeply interconnected systemic, linguistic, economic and human forces that keep us locked in…
From Aristotle to AI: Rethinking What 'Optimal' Really Means in Buildings - Ardeshir Mahdavi
This week, we sit down with Professor Ardeshir Mahdavi, an internationally recognised expert in building science, affiliated with Graz University of Technology and the Vienna University of Economics and Business, to explore a question that fundamentally challenges how we think about indoor environmental quality: What if the single biggest barrier to creating healthy, comfortable buildings isn't our lack of scientific models—but our failure to recognise that the search for optimal indoor conditions may…
From Infection Control to Indoor Air: The Global South Can't Wait Another Decade
This week, we sit down with Dr. Ranga Reddy Burri, a physician from Hyderabad, India, President of the Infection Control Academy of India, and Honorary Professor at the University of Hyderabad, to explore a question that fundamentally challenges how we think about public health in rapidly developing economies: What if the single biggest barrier to improving health outcomes in the Global South isn't a lack of scientific knowledge Key Topics Discussed: India's Demographic Window: India has a two to…
From Presidency to Practice: Bill McQuade on Putting People at the Center of Buildings - #122
This week, we sit down with Bill McQuade, outgoing President of ASHRAE, to explore a question that fundamentally challenges how we think about progress in the built environment: What if the single biggest barrier to transforming buildings isn't our lack of technical knowledge—but our failure to put human health and wellbeing at the centre of every design, maintenance, and policy decision we make? So a reflective conversation in many respects. A look at the year gone, but also a forward looking one…
Politicians, Pandemics and PM2.5: Turning Air Quality Science Into Policy - Lydia Morawska
This week, we sit down with Professor Lidia Morawska, one of the world's leading voices in air quality science and airborne infection transmission, to explore a question that fundamentally challenges how we think about progress in indoor air quality: What if the single biggest barrier to transforming the built environment isn't our lack of scientific knowledge—but our inability to convert public health crises into sustained political action before society forgets the urgency? Key Topics Discussed: …
The Celtic Tiger's Toxic Legacy: How Rapid Construction Baked Dampness Into Irish Homes - #OT48
This week, we dive into a groundbreaking study from Dublin City University published in the Journal of Housing Studies titled Transforming Social Housing: Moving Beyond Tenant Blame to Address Systemic Indoor Environmental Quality Challenges for Healthy Homes in Ireland, to explore a question that fundamentally challenges how we think about mould and dampness in social housing: What if the single biggest barrier to fixing persistent moisture problems in social housing isn't tenant behaviour—but a…
Catch Me If You Can: Why We're Always One Step Behind the Next Pathogen - #OT47
This week, we dive into a thought-provoking commentary published in the Journal of Health Security titled Catch Me If You Can: Reducing Infectious Disease Through Better Indoor Air Quality and Bio Surveillance, to explore a question that fundamentally challenges how we think about protecting public health: What if the single biggest barrier to preventing the next pandemic isn't our lack of scientific knowledge about airborne pathogens—but the boom and bust cycle of funding that prevents us from…
Beyond Grants and Targets: The Human Side of Retrofitting 500,000 Irish Homes
This week, we sit down with Ciaran Byrne, Director of National Retrofit, and Brian McIntyre, Program Manager for High Performance Building Technologies at the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), to explore a question that fundamentally challenges how we think about decarbonising the built environment: Key Topics Discussed: The Energy Security Reality: You can't control the cost of energy, but you can control how much energy your building needs. Ireland imports nearly all its fossil fuels,…
Sick Buildings to Smart Sensors: How IAQ Evolved Over Two Decades - Indoor Air 2026 Preview
This week, we sit down with Kwok Wai THam, President of Indoor Air 2026 with Vice Presidents, Yvonne Soh, and Chandra Sekhar, to explore a question that fundamentally challenges how we think about the evolution of indoor air quality: What if the single most important shift in the last two decades isn't just our deeper understanding of the science—but our recognition that clean indoor air is now a fundamental human right, requiring resilience, technology, and human centric design to deliver? Key…
Wet Towels, Cold Rooms: The Hidden Physics of Indoor Laundry Drying - #OT45
This week, we dive into a fascinating full scale experimental study published in the Journal of Indoor Environments titled Indoor Laundry Drying: Full Scale Determination of Water Emissions Rates and Impact on Thermal Comfort, to explore a question that fundamentally challenges how we think about energy efficiency advice: What if the single most common energy saving recommendation—drying clothes indoors instead of using a tumble dryer—is actually forcing us to turn up the heating and creating…