Is air conditioning enough to ventilate a room? And is an open window better than an electric fan? In this episode of Leeds University Business School’s Research and Innovation Podcast, Dr Matthew Davis is joined by Professor Cath Noakes and Professor Simon Rees to discuss the importance of good ventilation in buildings, particularly as people begin to return to the office after lockdown. 

This project – Adapting Offices for the Future of Work – is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), as part of UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to Covid-19. 

This podcast episode was recorded remotely in July 2021. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact [email protected]. A transcript of this episode is available.  

About the speakers: Dr Matthew Davis is an Associate Professor at Leeds University Business School, a Chartered Psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. His research centres on how people interact with their environments, the impact of different office designs and how businesses engage in CSR. 

Cath Noakes is Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings at the University of Leeds and is on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) committee. Her research expertise is in building physics and environmental engineering and she leads research into ventilation, indoor air quality and infection control in the built environment. 

Simon Rees is Professor of Building Energy Systems at the University of Leeds. His research interests are in the field of Building Engineering Physics and geothermal heating and cooling systems. These interests can be summarised as sustainable building design, energy simulation and dynamic thermal modelling methods, room heat transfer, thermal networks and geothermal systems.