Tishman Speyer works to improve school ventilation

New York, NY The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) has teamed up with leading real estate developer and owner Tishman Speyer to assist with air ventilation solutions in the city’s public schools. Over the past several weeks, Tishman Speyer has worked on a pro bono basis, in close collaboration with the UFT, Department of Education and the School Construction Authority to improve ventilation solutions and source more than 100,000 MERV-13 filters for NYC public schools.

“Tishman Speyer has been at the forefront of the effort to improve ventilation systems in response to the pandemic. When I asked Rob Speyer for insight on how our school system could better protect the health and well-being of its students and faculty, he did far more than just give advice—he assigned a team of his best engineers and building managers to work with the UFT and the city. Together they came up with a host of innovative solutions to protect our students and staff,” said Michael Mulgrew, president of the UFT.

“As a lifelong New Yorker, I am committed to doing what I can to assist the city in its ongoing recovery,” said Rob Speyer, CEO and president of Tishman Speyer. “I was honored when Mike Mulgrew asked if I could put Tishman Speyer’s expertise and contacts to work in helping the UFT and DOE create safer and healthier environments for our children, teachers and administrators.” 

Tishman Speyer’s team of engineers and design experts focused on schools with complicated central air distribution systems. The team spent several weeks reviewing the ventilations systems and operation at the Martin Luther King Jr. complex in Manhattan and Herbert Lehman High School in the Bronx. As part of the effort, Tishman Speyer performed full diagnostics on all building fans, which augmented the DOE’s ongoing classroom air flow surveys. 

Drawing on its experience with commercial real estate buildings, Tishman Speyer helped develop multiple strategies for continuing the current provision of fresh outside air through the winter months, and deploying high quality MERV filters at the central fans. 

Tishman Speyer also tapped its supply chain to find a domestic supplier who could deliver 100,000 MERV filters, currently in high demand across the world, to NYC schools in a short timeframe.