Join us for an enlightening conversation with Bill Bahnfleth, ASHRAE Fellow, former president, and professor at Penn State's Department of Architectural Engineering, who perfectly bridges the gap between rigorous science and practical application in the built environment. Where Are We Now in the Ventilation Journey? In this wide-ranging discussion, Bill offers a sobering assessment of our post-pandemic reality. Despite COVID being what should have been "the reset" for indoor air quality awareness, we're watching that attention rapidly fade. As he travels globally in his role as an ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer, Bill observes a consistent pattern: buildings designed to bare minimums, maintenance treated as an afterthought, and a massive gulf between what academic conferences discuss and what actually happens in real buildings. The conversation reveals how regional differences shape ventilation practices – from Europe's long-standing ventilation focus to markets where outdoor air is considered too energy-intensive to be viable. Yet one universal truth emerges: the tyranny of minimum standards becoming maximum targets, and the persistent failure to maintain even basic system performance.

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction: The State of Indoor Air Quality Post-Pandemic
• 00:02:00 Global Perspectives on Ventilation Challenges
• 00:26:15 The Medical Community's Missing Voice
• 00:36:59 ASHRAE's Evolution and Global Expansion
• 00:58:05 Standard 241: Born from Crisis
• 01:05:27 Equivalent Clean Air: A New Paradigm
• 01:11:04 Building Resilience and Modal Operations
• 01:16:15 Risk Assessment vs. Simple Thresholds
• 01:31:05 The Technology Balance: Benefits and Byproducts
• 01:44:44 Accessibility Rights and Indoor Air Quality