SEATTLE--Vanbarton Group (Vanbarton), a privately owned vertically integrated real estate investment and advisory firm, announced the installation of the NeedlePoint Bipolar Ionization (NPBI) system at 901 Fifth Avenue, the first high-rise implementation in Seattle. The installation of NPBI at the downtown Seattle office tower is part of Vanbarton’s ongoing efforts to enhance its buildings’ air quality and help reduce the transmission of airborne illnesses, such as the novel coronavirus.
NPBI technology is integrated into buildings’ HVAC systems and has been cited as a powerful purification method to maintain healthy air quality and to mitigate harmful substances such as mold, bacteria and viruses. Vanbarton has installed this technology because providing a safe working environment for its tenants continues to be a top priority. Other users of NPBI technology include Boeing, Cleveland Clinic, Google and the Mayo Clinic.
Vanbarton partnered with System Inc., a Seattle-based manufacturer representative, designer and installer of air quality control equipment and Global Plasma Solutions (GPS), a leading manufacturer of indoor air quality solutions, to test the efficacy of NPBI for the building. Upon successful completion and validation of test results, the groups installed 36 air purification devices throughout the 41-story office building. NPBI devices in 901 Fifth Avenue have been placed in all seven central air handling systems. The remaining 29 supplementary devices are located at variable air volume (VAV) locations serving conference rooms and common areas for maximum protection. The patented technology cleans the air inside commercial and residential buildings by using an electronic charge to create a plasma field filled with a high concentration of positive and negative ions. As these ions travel with the air stream, they attach to particles, pathogens and gases.
“The global pandemic has emphasized the vital role building systems, cleaning technology and ongoing building maintenance play in protecting the public health of our communities,” said Doug Edwards, General Manager of Engineering with Schnitzer West, who manages the property on behalf of Vanbarton. “We take this responsibility seriously and remain committed to ensuring the health, safety and overall well-being of our tenants and visitors to our buildings. As more of the global workforce returns to their offices, it’s imperative that this transition is safe. We’re grateful for the collaboration with System Inc. and GPS to help safeguard our building environment and deliver the best possible air quality for our tenants.”
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, commercial landlords around the world have been focused on providing a clean and healthy work environment so their tenants and other building occupants can safely return to their offices. Using the NPBI technology in conjunction with high efficiency filtration and property hygiene protocols can help address this concern. According to independent studies commissioned by GPS, NPBI can reduce 99.7 percent of microbes, and has already provided effective protection against SARS, norovirus and several influenza strains in other buildings where it has been installed.
Vanbarton is currently reviewing the installation of the NPBI technology at some of its other properties in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. 901 Fifth Avenue, which Vanbarton purchased from Schnitzer West in July 2019, recently earned a LEED Platinum rating, which is the highest sustainability rating a building can attain within the LEED rating system.
About Vanbarton Group
Vanbarton Group is a privately owned, vertically integrated real estate investment and advisory firm founded in 1992 with corporate offices in New York City, San Francisco and Seattle. With its proven expertise successfully investing across the capital stack in varying ways throughout real estate cycles, Vanbarton’s investments include core, value-to-core and value-add equity investments, preferred equity, junior participations, bridge loans, secondary market debt acquisitions and securitized credit.
About Global Plasma Solutions
Global Plasma Solutions (GPS) is the leader in Indoor Air Quality, with over 30 patents and more than 250,000 installations worldwide using our needlepoint bipolar ionization (NPBI) technology to deliver clean indoor air that is safe and healthy – producing neither ozone nor other harmful by-products. All of our NPBI products are UL and CE certified and registered and use NPBI to purify the air by eliminating airborne particulates, odors and pathogens. GPS was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
About System Inc.
System Inc. is a Seattle based manufacturer representative, designer, and installer of air quality control equipment. Since 1963, System Inc. has specialized in the refurbishment, renewal and upgrade of commercial and industrial HVAC equipment serving building and process applications. System Inc. helps owners maximize equipment lifecycles and reduce replacement expenses using an engineered whole system approach.
