Dubai, UAE, 24 April 2018: While carrying out retrofit measures, consultants must also focus on improving indoor air quality (IAQ), said Hassan Younes, Director, Griffin Consultants.

Sharing his thoughts on the subject, Younes said: “In new request-for-proposals (RFPs), consultants must follow IAQ standards, and educate the client on the benefits of improving IAQ. The client is often caught up in a dilemma of whether IAQ would increase energy efficiency and often ignores the importance of IAQ.” Younes added that clients also look at the investment when it comes to implementing IAQ standards.

Voicing a similar view, Michel Farah, Director – Corporate Environmental and Social Responsibility, Daikin Middle East and Africa, added: “IAQ is one of the key maintenance points of cleaning and improving new technologies. We find more attention given to IAQ in newly constructed buildings than in existing buildings, which need higher IAQ standards while implementing retrofit measures.”

Farah further added that there should be a clear set of key performance indicators between all stakeholders on how IAQ can be quantified, while discussing what should be retrofitted in a project.