07/17/2026
As wildfire smoke drives outdoor PM2.5 levels higher, NYC buildings are doing exactly what they're designed to do: keeping indoor air quality stable, safe, and well below outdoor concentrations.
To keep smoke and particulates out, buildings often reduce outdoor air intake by modifying their outside air dampers. In times when the outside air is dangerous to your health, this is a way to keep indoor spaces healthy and uninterrupted.
As seen here, at 2:30pm yesterday, https://hubs.la/Q04pRMBk0 tracked that outside PM2.5 levels reached 164.57 μg/m³ while the Nantum AI dashboard screenshot shows that this building’s indoor PM2.5 levels were at only 4.00 μg/m³. Great job, Engineers!
This is the reality of building operations during wildfire season: it's not a simple "good air" vs. "bad air" equation. It's a continuous balancing act between filtration, ventilation, and occupant wellbeing — one that requires real-time monitoring and access to real time, accurate and precise data, not just static settings.
As climate volatility makes wildfire smoke a recurring challenge rather than a rare event, building operators and facilities teams need to make sure their playbook is ready to act fast!
