Urban Air Quality

Airborne pollutants are responsible for about one third of deaths from stroke, chronic respiratory disease, and lung cancer, as well as one quarter of deaths from heart attack. Air pollution is also fundamentally altering our climate, with profound impacts on the health of the planet. 

United Nations Environment Programme.

Over 80% of urban residents globally are exposed to air quality levels exceeding World Health Organization guidelines. Urban air quality monitoring typically occurs at ground level, reflecting conditions where people live and commute. However, these measurements fail to capture conditions in high-rise buildings (>75 ft), where a substantial portion of the population now resides or works. Pollutants such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, ground-level ozone, and volatile organic compounds vary significantly with altitude due to factors like traffic emissions, building density, meteorology, and atmospheric layering, often infiltrating buildings through ventilation systems. Establishing vertical air quality measurements is vital for accurately assessing pollution patterns and exposure risks from urban sources (e.g., traffic, construction) and external hazards (e.g., wildfire haze, fireworks). Long-traveling particulate matter from distant wildfires, for instance, often remains suspended at higher altitudes. Understanding the vertical distribution of these pollutants is crucial for building resilience against extreme air pollution scenarios. 

We build and deploy sensors across Brooklyn to study the impact of elevation on air quality and develop strategies to enhance the resilience of high-rise buildings to pollution. Currently, sensors installed on university-managed buildings collect data every minute in order to capture daily, weekly, and seasonal patterns, along with exceptional events. In addition, lab work at University College London helps assess the relationship between indoor and outdoor air quality to improve our building resilience.