RWDI launches COVID-19 testing service

Image courtesy RWDI.

As Canadian businesses reopen with caution, consulting engineering firm RWDI has teamed up with biotechnology organization Purity-IQ to launch Songbird Life Science, a new venture to provide COVID-19 testing and health protection services for shared spaces.

To help its clients keep their operations running confidently, Songbird combines RWDI’s knowledge of ventilation, air flow and pathogen spread in building design with Purity-IQ’s rapid testing technology, along with their shared experience working with offices, airports, manufacturing facilities, health-care clinics, food production lines and other indoor environments.

Based in Guelph, Ont., Songbird offers on-demand diagnostics for identifying COVID-19 on surfaces and in people, with a swab kit and portable, cloud-based device providing results in 90 minutes. Air testing is currently in the research and development (R&D) phase.

While physical spacing, temperature checks, personal protective equipment (PPE) and deep cleaning are all important steps, Songbird adds DNA-based testing to detect viruses even in asymptomatic carriers. For emergency on-site COVID-19 incidents, the company responds with immediate testing and containment. For ongoing risk prevention, on the other hand, its building and ventilation experts develop practical layout plans and air quality monitoring, customized to each client’s space.

“By blending expertise in genomics and building science, Songbird brings decades of experience supporting the design and safety of nearly every facility type,” says Michael J. Soligo, president and CEO of RWDI.