The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted an already growing trend in office spaces—air purification systems. While these were already growing in popularity, employees and businesses are learning more about them to keep employees safe and to create a healthy work environment. They could be an integral way to re-open offices and reintegrate people into the workspace.

"Tenants first and foremost want to ensure a safe and healthy work environment for their team members," Matt Root, CEO and managing partner of Parallel Capital Partners, tells GlobeSt.com. "They also desire to work collaboratively with landlords to protect the health and safety of all building occupants.  Tenants want to understand the worksite specific plan—COVID-19 building operating plans, detailed list of safety measures taken by the landlord, and confirmation of full compliance with orders, rules, and guidelines promulgated by the federal government, state government, county government and local municipality."

Parallel Capital Partners is rolling out new guidelines in two of its Phoenix high-rise office buildings to meet the new health and safety needs. In addition to touchless technologies, the investor is focusing on updating its HVAC system and air purification systems. This will include the installation of a Plasma Air sterilization system, which is known for "proactively attack[ing] pathogens via positively and negatively charged oxygen ions." "There are multiple ways to improve air quality including humidity control, boosting the amount of outside air into buildings, improving ventilation and upgrading air filters to capture smaller particles," says Root. "There are also technologies such as UVGI (ultraviolet germicidal irradiation), and filtration systems such as bipolar ionization and non-thermal plasma to help capture contaminants. Bipolar ionization, which we are using in our buildings,  basically purifying indoor air that can reduce harmful substances such as bacteria and viruses. The ionizer produces millions of positively and negatively charged oxygen ions, and those ions bind to and interact with airborne particles, including pathogens, germs, gaseous contaminants, oxidizing and killing the pathogens as they break down the gaseous contaminants."