Indoor air quality: the underestimated role of walls

When air becomes an architectural challenge

Indoor air quality has become a key issue in the building industry in recent years.
Sensors, standards, ventilation, air renewal: technical solutions have multiplied, sometimes to the point of giving the illusion that the problem was completely under control.

However, despite these measures, many buildings continue to cause discomfort, fatigue, or a vague feeling of poor air quality.

This contradiction reveals a major blind spot:
indoor air quality depends not only on systems, but also on the surfaces surrounding them.

And among these surfaces, walls play a decisive role that is too often underestimated.

1. Indoor air is not a flow, it is a balance.

Indoor air is often referred to as a volume that needs to be renewed.
But in reality, in an occupied building, the air is in constant interaction with:

  • Materials,
  • The occupants,
  • Usages,
  • Humidity,
  • The temperature.

Between two air changes, it is surfaces that determine the indoor environment.
Walls, through their surface area and constant presence, play a silent but structuring role.

A wall does not purify the air like a mechanical filter.
It influences the conditions in which the air evolves.

2. Wall surfaces and diffuse pollution

Certain wall materials may become, over time:

  • Sources of gradual release,
  • Pollutant reservoirs,
  • Amplifiers of internal imbalances.

This phenomenon is rarely immediate.
It sets in slowly, often without any visible warning signs, but with cumulative effects on comfort and health.

Conversely, stable mineral and plant-based wall coverings limit these risks by not generating delayed pollution and maintaining consistent performance over time.

Indoor air quality therefore depends as much on what is removed as on what the walls do not emit.

3. Humidity: the invisible factor in indoor air

Uncomfortable air is not always polluted air.
It is often unbalanced air.

Excessive humidity promotes:

  • Persistent odors,
  • The feeling of heaviness,
  • Damage to materials.

Air that is too dry causes:

  • Irritation,
  • Fatigue,
  • Respiratory discomfort.

Walls that can naturally regulate humidity play a key role in stabilizing these phenomena.
They absorb excess moisture, release it when the air dries out, and limit sudden variations.

This passive regulation directly contributes to more stable air quality without additional energy consumption.

4. Waterproof buildings, strategic walls

The more airtight buildings are, the more quickly indoor imbalances become apparent.
In these contexts, walls become real buffer zones.

They absorb:

  • Peaks in humidity linked to occupancy,
  • Temperature variations,
  • Imbalances caused by intensive use.

In schools, offices, healthcare facilities, and collective housing, this role is essential.
Air quality can no longer rely solely on mechanical systems.

5. A comprehensive approach led by Absolin

The design of Absolin wall coverings fully incorporates this comprehensive interpretation of interior quality.

Bio-based formulations, combining mineral and plant-based materials, aim to:

  • Ensure high stability over time,
  • Promote humidity control,
  • Limit any delayed pollution.

The goal is not to replace ventilation, but to create a consistent wall environment that sustainably supports indoor air quality.

Air is also managed by walls

Indoor air quality cannot be reduced to ventilation flow rates or one-off measurements.
It is the result of an overall balance, built up day after day through usage, materials, and surfaces.

By reevaluating the role of walls, we are shifting paradigms:
we are no longer simply seeking to correct the air, but to create conditions for naturally more stable and healthier air.


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