Estonia's largest shopping centres are investing in ventilation equipment to ensure the highest air quality, and are committed to exemplary air exchange.
Together with the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA), the Estonian Merchants' Association has developed the "We Have Clean Air" mark, highlighting shopping centres that have made noticeable investments in improving air quality and that care about the health of their customers and staff, who spend long hours on site.
The Clean Air mark has been awarded to the Viru, Kristiine, Ulemiste, Rocca al Mare, Mustamae, Viimsi, Astri, Fama and Parnu centres, Tartu Kaubamaja and Lounakeskus.
The shopping centres that have received the mark monitor air quality in real time. Technology developed for this purpose continuously measures air cleanliness at hundreds of points across each centre and reacts immediately if CO2 levels rise above the recommended limit at any one point. Thus the air in the shopping centres that have received the Clean Air mark is almost as fresh and clean as outside.
Members of the Estonian Merchants' Association have already been proactive in seeking solutions to curb the spread of Covid. Over the past two years, the Association has repeatedly made voluntary, self-initiated agreements such as enforcing mask wearing in stores or moving sales campaigns online. Now, as the indoor autumn-winter season approaches, attention is being drawn to the importance of ventilation. "On the topic of air quality we cooperated closely with the TTJA, who helped shopping centres validate that the buildings' air-exchange equipment and settings meet the highest national requirements and recommendations. These were in turn developed in cooperation with researchers at TalTech. We also call on other institutions and sectors to ensure effective indoor ventilation, thereby protecting the health of both customers and staff," said the head of the Estonian Merchants' Association, Nele Peil.
TalTech professor Jarek Kurnitski has previously confirmed on multiple occasions that good ventilation curbs the spread of both the Covid virus and so-called common cold viruses, stressing that in a well-ventilated room the risk of infection is up to five times lower than with poor ventilation. Indoor air quality only began to receive wider attention as a result of the pandemic. "I commend the shopping centres for taking the initiative, because effective air exchange is especially important in crowded places. Let the shopping centres' commitment serve as an example for getting school building ventilation in order," Kurnitski said.
As early as the start of the pandemic, the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority drew up guidance on configuring the technical systems of public buildings so as to maximally curb the spread of the virus, and has also conducted spot checks of compliance with the requirements. "A higher virus risk level requires the use of more outdoor-air ventilation. From now on, this is verified in shopping centres by the Clean Air mark," confirmed TTJA Director General Kristi Talving. "Hopefully, this pilot project will yield good practices in both monitoring indoor climate and saving energy costs that could be extended to other sectors and types of buildings," Talving added.
The Clean Air mark is protected by copyright and belongs to the Estonian Merchants' Association. The right to use the mark is granted by the Association's board to companies that have submitted an application to that effect and received written confirmation that their ventilation meets the requirements for exemplary air exchange described by the TTJA.
Pictured: TTJA Director General Kristi Talving and Estonian Merchants' Association CEO Nele Peil.
Photo author: Kristiina Tammik