Air quality is determined by air emissions from stationary and mobile sources as well as the long-range transport of air pollutants.

Studies by the American College of Allergy show that about 50% of all diseases are aggravated or caused by polluted indoor air. In addition, cases of building-related illness (BRI) and sick building syndrome (SBS) continues to grow. In fact, recent studies indicate the presence of more than 900 possible contaminants, from thousands of different sources, in a given indoor environment.

Therefore, it is now generally accepted that indoor air pollution is recognized to have a greater potential impact on public health than most types of outdoor air pollution, causing numerous health problems from respiratory diseases to cancer.

One of the main objectives of sustainable design is to support the well-being of building occupants by reducing indoor air pollution. This can be achieved through the selection of materials with low off-gassing potential, the design and installation of intelligent ventilation and air conditioning installations (which provide adequate access to fresh air and effective control of temperature, humidity and protection against contaminants from outside air), by monitoring the air parameters inside the building and the intelligent management of all the systems that intervene to maintain the indoor air quality.