Joseph Allen's Faculty Website

Healthy Buildings on the Horizon

ROLES

Associate Professor
Director, Harvard Healthy Buildings Program (ForHealth.org)
Co-Director (with Rick Siegrist), Public Health and Business Leadership
Commissioner, The Lancet COVID-19 Commission
Chair, The Lancet COVID-19 Commission Task Force on Safe Work, Safe Schools, and Safe Travel
Harvard University Coronavirus Advisory Group
Harvard Presidential Committee on Sustainability (Co-Chair, 2050 Sub-Committee)
Deputy Director, Harvard Education and Research Center for Occupational Safety & Health

ABOUT

Joseph G. Allen is Director of the Healthy Buildings program and an Associate Professor at Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Before joining the faculty at Harvard, he spent several years in the private sector leading teams of scientists and engineers to investigate and resolve hundreds of indoor environmental quality issues, including “sick buildings,” cancer clusters, and biological/chemical hazards. His academic research focuses on the critical role the indoor built environment plays in our overall health. One of the world’s leading experts on healthy buildings, Dr. Allen is a regular keynote speaker and advises leading global companies. He is the c0-author of Healthy Buildings (Harvard University Press; 2020)

IN THE NEWS

Healthy Buildings

Your Building Might be Making You Sick. Joe Allen Can Help. (Harvard Gazette)

We Spend 90% of Our Time Inside—Why Don’t We Care that Indoor Air is so Polluted? (Fast Company)

Is Staying In Staying Safe (The New Yorker)

This Scientist Says Cleaning Indoor Air Could Make Us Healthier – and Smarter (SCIENCE)

A Paradigm Shift to Combat Indoor Respiratory Infection (SCIENCE)

We’ve Known How to Make Healthier Buildings for Decades (The Verge)

We’re Better Off When We Can Breathe Easy (HSPH Better Off Podcast)

To Make a Building Healthier, Stop Sanitizing Everything (Bloomberg)

Employers have been offering the wrong amenities. Workplaces need fresh air, not foosball tables and coffee bars (The Atlantic)

Want Air Conditioning and a Healthier Planet? Here’s One Step We Can Take Today. (The Hill)

Five Surprising Ways Buildings Can Improve Our Health (National Geographic)

Indoor Heat Waves (Boston Globe)

Harvard Researchers Outline Steps to a Healthy Home (Harvard Gazette)

Cognitive Benefits of Healthy Buildings (Harvard Magazine)

Harvard Researchers Detail the 9 Factors That Make a Building Healthy (ArchDaily)

Business and Health

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health launches new program for business leaders (Harvard Gazette)

Is the Healthiest Building in the World Worth the Rent? (HBS Cold Call Podcast)

Stale Office Air Is Making You Less Productive (Harvard Business Review)

What Makes an Office Building “Healthy” (Harvard Business Review)

Employers Must Ensure the Safety of Home Workspaces (Harvard Business Review)

Making Offices Safe for Workers, and Making Money Doing It (Wall Street Journal)

Scientists Probe Indoor Work Spaces for Clues to Better Health (Wall Street Journal)

A Greener, More Healthful Place to Work (New York Times)

Your Office Air Is Killing You (Newsweek)

Can an Office Building Make You Healthier and More Productive? (Boston Globe)

Tenants and Investors Will Be Looking for Healthy Buildings (Urban Land)

Connecting Employee Productivity and Their Own Real Estate (Forbes)

Fresh Air Improves Productivity and Your Bottom Line (Business Journal)

Healthier Materials

Forever Chemicals (Washington Post)

This Pesticide is Closely Related to Nerve Agents Used in World War II (Washington Post)

The Formaldehyde in Your E-Cigs (New York Times)

Juul and the Vape Debate: Choosing Between Smokers and Teens (CNN)

Stop Playing Whack-A-Mole With Hazardous Chemicals (Washington Post)

Covid-19 - Schools

Health Equity, School Hesitancy, and the Social Determinants of Learning (The Lancet)

Why is ventilation key to reopening schools? (New York Times)

Risk Reduction Strategies for Reopening Schools (Schools for Health)

With England in lockdown, it’s time ministers got it right on face masks (The Guardian)

Yes, the New Variant of Coronavirus is Alarming. But Kids Should Stay in School. (Washington Post)

Why Three Feet of Social Distancing Should be Enough in Schools (Washington Post)

Schools (and Children) Need a Fresh Air Fix (WIRED)

Air Purifiers, Fans, and Filters: A COVID-19 Explainer for Schools (Education Week)

How Smart Technology Can Help Create Healthy School Buildings (EdTech Magazine)

Debating the Progressive Case for Opening Schools (Slate)

‘The Stakes Couldn’t Be Higher.’ Here’s How Experts Say Joe Biden Could Fix Pandemic Schooling (TIME)

Why Partisan Politics Keeps 14 Million Hungry Children from Getting the Food They Need (USA Today)

Is Go-Slow Schools’ Reopening Failing Kids? (Harvard Gazette)

Healthy Buildings Expert Outlines Recommendations for School Reopenings (Harvard Gazette)

How Schools Can Reopen Safely: Recommendations from Health Experts (Wall Street Journal)

Experts Say Some Classrooms May Need an Air Purifier—and Offer Advice on Sizing (Boston Globe)

How to Make Classrooms Safe for Leaning in A Pandemic (WBUR)

School Buildings Are Old. Can They Handle a Pandemic? (GBH)

Five Things to Know About Reopening Schools Safely (CBS News)

Schools Face Big Virus Test as Students Return to Classroom (CNBC)

U.S. Schooling During COVID-19 Doesn’t Deserve a Passing Grade. Here’s the Way Forward. (Washington Post)

Want to Buy Schools Time? Open the Windows. (Washington Post)

We Can—and Must—Reopen Schools. Here’s How. (Washington Post)

Yes, Kids Should Be Going Back to School in the Fall (Washington Post)

This Fall, Classrooms Will Be Too Crowded. Theaters and Malls Will Be Empty. We See a Solution. (New York Magazine)

Covid-19 - Workplace

What Makes an Office Building “Healthy” (Harvard Business Review)

Who Guarantees Your Workplace is Safe for Return? (HBS Working Knowledge)

A Paradigm Shift to Combat Indoor Respiratory Infection (Science)

Goodbye to Open Office Spaces? How Experts Are Rethinking the Workplace (National Geographic)

That Office AC System is Great—at Recirculating Viruses (New York Magazine)

How to Stay Healthy When You Eventually Return to the Office Post-Pandemic (CNBC)

Don’t Return to the Office Until You Read This (Bloomberg)

What C.E.O.s Are Worried About (New York Times)

COVID-19: Four Considerations Before Returning to the Office (World Economic Forum)

Experts Prescribe Better Ventilation for Offices During Coronavirus Times; Key to Staying Safe on the Job (Boston Globe)

A Five-Level Strategy to Make Returning to the Office Safer (Boston Globe)

Offices Prepare for Post-Virus Return to Work (Marketplace)

Without Training, N95 Masks May Not Protect Workers on the COVID-19 Frontlines (STAT)

Elevator Etiquette in 9 Easy Steps for Returning to the Workplace (USA Today)

Going Back to the Office? What Public Health Experts Say About Using the Elevator (Washington Post)

Returning to Work on the Subway? Here’s What You Need to Know (New York Times)

How to Make Offices More Healthful—and Less Stressful (Wall Street Journal)

Has COVID-19 Caused Positive Change for Office Efficiency? (Newsweek)

Coronavirus: The Future of Offices (Global News Canada)

As America Struggles to Reopen Schools and Offices, How to Clean Coronavirus From the Air (Washington Post)

Covid-19 - Travel

Airplanes Don’t Make You Sick. Really. (Washington Post)

The Risk of Getting Sick on a Plane is Lower Than You Think—If You Know What to Watch Out For (Insider)

COVID-19 Holiday Travel Planned? Here’s What You Need to Know About Flying (Wall Street Journal)

How Risky is Air Travel in the Pandemic? Here’s What the Science Says. (Vox)

Airlines Focus on Air Quality to Ensure Passenger Safety (NBC Nightly News)

Airlines Say Air Quality, Cleanliness Lower Coronavirus Risk (Axios)

Harvard Expert: Plane Air Quality Similar to Hospital Airborne Infection Isolation Room (MSNBC’s Meet the Press)

American Airports in a Post-Pandemic World (FOX News’s America’s News HQ)

How Risky is Flying During a Pandemic? What We Know and How to Make it Safer (CNN Travel)

Is There Coronavirus in Your Car? Here’s How You Can Protect Yourself. (USA Today)

How to Limit Your COVID-19 Risk During Holiday Travel (National Geographic)

How to Minimize the Risk and Enjoy the Holidays (Scientific American)

Covid-19 - General

Indoor Air Changes and Potential Implications for SARS-CoV-2 Transmission (JAMA)

Health Equity, School Hesitancy, and the Social Determinants of Learning (The Lancet)

How Healthy Buildings Can Help Us Fight Coronavirus (Financial Times)

Your Building Can Make You Sick or Keep You Well (New York Times)

We Cannot Keep Ignoring the Possibility of Airborne Transmission. Here’s How to Address It. (Washington Post)

Yes, Airborne Transmission is Happening. The CDC Needs to Set the Record Straight (Washington Post)

The Coronavirus is Airborne—What That Means for You (CNET)

Improving Ventilation in Buildings Could Help Reduce Spread of Coronavirus, Study Says (CBS Evening News)

Ventilation Is Key to Battling COVID. Here’s Why. (Wall Street Journal)

After Push from Experts, World Health Organization Says It’s Possible COVID-19 Spreads by Air (TIME)

To Beat COVID-19, You Have to Know How A Virus Moves (WIRED)

How to Keep the Coronavirus at Bay Indoors (New York Times)

This Winter, Fight COVID-19 With Humidity (Washington Post)

Why COVID-19 Raises the Stakes for Healthy Buildings (HBS Working Knowledge)

What Should My Building Be Doing to Prevent Coronavirus? (New York Times)

How Architecture Could Help Us Adapt to the Pandemic (New York Times)

Don’t Panic about Shopping, Getting Delivery or Accepting Packages (Washington Post)

We Are Overcleaning in Response to COVID-19 (Washington Post)

The Coronavirus Cleaning Boom is Coming (Fortune)

Skip the Useless COVID-19 Rules, Please (Bloomberg)

You Need to Wear a Mask. Here’s how. (Washington Post)

Choosing the Best Mask to Protect You and Others, According to New CDC Guidelines (CNN)

Americans, We Can Fight COVID-19 and Save Lives Now. Wear a Mask! (USA Today)

Masks Work. Really. We’ll Show You How (New York Times)

Keep Parks Open. The Benefits of Fresh Air Outweigh the Risks of Infection. (Washington Post)

Is It Safe to Eat at Restaurants Yet? (Eater)

Could Flushing a Public Toilet Really Spread COVID-19? (National Geographic)

Can You Catch COVID-19 From Your Neighbor’s Toilet? (Science Magazine)

Cleaning Your Home for Coronavirus? Don’t Forget Your Indoor Air. (HuffPost)

The Truth About Air Filters and COVID Protection (Men’s Health)

Can an Air Purifier Help Protect Your Against the Coronavirus? (Washington Post)

Virus-proofing Sports Facilities Presents a Big Challenge (Associated Press)

Coronavirus, Social Distancing Will Change the Way We Attend Games (ESPN)

Why Stadiums Are Incubators for Coronavirus Spread (Wall Street Journal)

How Do You Make a Theater Safe Again? (Dance Magazine)

Behind the Conflicting Advice on Coronavirus Safety (New Republic)

COVID-19 Testing: Here’s How Often You Should Really Be Doing It (Health)

Coronavirus Reality Check: 7 Myths about Social Distancing, Busted (USA Today)

Six Things to Know if You’re Living with Someone Who Has Coronavirus (USA Today)

How to Self-Isolate at Home When You Have COVID-19 (WNYC)

How to Beat the Coronavirus and Return to a New Normal (USA Today)

Need Some Good News About COVID-19? Here Are Six Reasons for Optimism. (Washington Post)

This scientist says cleaning indoor air could make us healthier—and smarter

Joseph Allen runs a major public health research project at Harvard University, probing how indoor air quality affects human health and cognition. He consults with companies on ventilation and air filtration, and during the pandemic he became a prominent voice on public health, writing dozens of op-eds criticizing early guidance from health authorities and debunking misconceptions about how the virus spreads.

Home

This scientist says cleaning indoor air could make us healthier—and smarter

Harvard Healthy Buildings Program

HBR: What Makes an Office Building 'Healthy'?

Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity

The 9 Foundations of a Healthy Building

Is the Healthiest Building in the World Worth the Rent?