ActiveBuildings aim to make clean air accessible to all

One of the most promising frontiers for improving air quality is the development of new technology. Technology is an essential component of the system that controls air pollution even if it does not directly cut emissions or eliminate air pollution from our sky. To make your living indoors as healthy as possible, ActiveBuildings uses cutting-edge technology and individualised recommendations to create a healthy indoor environment.

In an interview with the CEO of the company, Abhinav Gupta, we discussed how they are ensuring "access to clean air for all." Excerpts:

DQ: Explain how ActiveBuildings goes about ensuring "access to clean air for all."

Abhinav: ActiveBuildings is trying to raise awareness about the importance of clean air in indoor spaces as there is not enough information out there about the effectiveness of various solutions that are usually deployed for indoor spaces. Due to this, it is difficult for consumers to make an informed decision.

In collaboration with a variety of partners, we are deploying air quality monitors and cleaners in public spaces that receive a lot of foot traffic. We partnered with the Balvi fund for $1 million to establish 5,000 indoor air quality monitors and 10,000 air cleaners in both Karnataka and Maharashtra. 

ActiveBuildings intends to cover 600,000 sq. metres of indoor spaces which will be protected with the help of the Bubble Corsi-Rosenthal Boxes, deployed to public spaces like schools, healthcare facilities etc. We also received the CAWACH grant from the department of science and technology, allowing them to partner with BMC, Kasturba and Nair Hospital to benchmark indoor air quality solutions and develop Bubble PAPR devices. The company raised 7k USD through their GoFundMe campaign which enabled them to make and disburse 120+ low-cost air filters to local schools and health care spaces. 

DQ: The AQI Index of Indian cities is on the higher side. Do you take all this into account?

Abhinav: Air Quality Index (AQI) is an index number or simply put, an average of the worst pollutant that is affecting a particular area’s air quality.  This is calculated over periods of 24 hours in India.  Outdoor air quality or ambient air quality cannot be controlled unless policies or stricter regulations are put in place. Indoor air is about 2 to 5 times worse than outdoor air and indoors is where an average individual spends most of their time. If the AQI of a city is bad, it is very likely that the indoor air quality of a built environment in that city will be just as bad, if not worse.  This is why ActiveBuildings relies on their globally certified sensors to track indoor air quality data in real-time before mapping out solutions. 

DQ: How has been the uptake in tier2 and tier3 cities?

Abhinav: We have partnered with various organisations in Maharashtra, Karnataka and New Delhi to work in collaboration to address the concerns of indoor air quality. Also have partnered with Balvi Fund backed by crypto billionaire Vitalik to monitor and filter air quality in the states of  Maharashtra and Karnataka with an initial investment of 1 million USD. This collaboration aims to cover 600,000 sq. metres of indoor spaces, with 10,000 units of air cleaners in public places

We have offerings for regular households and consumers all over India in regards to air quality assessment and solutions. Certain cities in India are more accessible through their channel partners. For other cities, if there is a client who is interested, company ships out their sensors to them to track their indoor air quality. After the assessment we also arrange for doorstep pickup of the sensor and provides the client with a detailed report regardless of which city they are in. Currently, turnaround times increase a bit more when servicing tier 2 and tier 3 cities. 

DQ: Are you targeting hospitals as they need clean air? Which ones?

Abhinav: Our partnership with the Balvi Fund to deploy their products in Government schools and hospitals primarily aims to cater to hospitals as mentioned in the above response.

The importance of having indoor air solutions in places that see a huge amount of footfall of mainly vulnerable people. (Senior citizens and children) Keeping the airborne transmission of COVID in check.

Hospitals in Maharashtra and Karnataka where the air quality sensors and cleaners are to be deployed. 50 sensors and 100 air cleaners have been deployed in Maharashtra to Tata Memorial and Nair Hospitals. 

The following are going to be covered in the next phase of deployment in Maharashtra

• BMC TB trauma ward - Jogeshwari
  • BMC Maternity ward - Jogeshwari
  • Mahila Samiti High School - Dombivali

DQ: What are the locations using ActiveBuildings so far? What is the growth plan?

Abhinav: We aim to make clean air accessible to all. They, in India, are doing so by focusing on raising awareness about indoor air quality in India, since the ecosystem is witnessing air quality concerns throughout the country.

Their primary partners of ActiveBuildings are in the pharmaceutical sector, retail spaces, hospitality/F&B sector. These would remain the key target sectors in the coming years.

Talking about focussed geographies in India ActiveBuildings is working across the nation with key focus in the starters of Karnataka, Maharashtra and New Delhi. Active Buildings have their ongoing global projects in England, US and UAE.

In the next five years, ActiveBuildings aims to diversify its portfolio by offering water flow and water quality solutions for which high-quality research is in progress.