Vadivel Thangamuthu has struggled with dust allergies since a very young age. Growing up in Erode, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, air pollution was a big issue — even then in the 1980s. But in 2011 after moving to the United States, Vadivel experienced what it was like to have regular access to cleaner air. He no longer needed to seek medication for his condition.

Upon returning to Erode, Vadivel was concerned about having to breathe polluted air again. But after he started working with SIERRA, he gradually started feeling better. Because of the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability initiatives, particularly through LEED green building and measurement through the Arc performance platform, he learned how green building positively impacts the health and wellbeing of a building’s occupants.

Once he started working at SIERRA, he could breathe more deeply than ever before. In his story, he explains, “I feel like now I have different lungs, heart, and body to what I had before…We owe it to the future generations to give them clean, breathable air.”

And in a post-pandemic world, buildings are part of the solution and are connected to both how we spread the COVID-19 virus and collectively fight the virus. This is our opportunity to design a more resilient, healthier future.