Page 62 - Green Builder Magazine March-April 2019 Issue

IAQ: Breathe Easier

Products, Research and Advice for Improving Indoor Air Quality

Time to Breathe Easy

NAHB-IBS 2019 offered key lessons in house. These will be additional pressures on successfully integrating
“Healthy” into “Green Homebuilding” for us all.
healthy home design and construction. Green Homebuilding and in fact, the combination can create the best
The elements involved in “Healthy” homes are compatible with
Are you listening? homes. But it does take increased understanding and appreciation
on the part of designers, builders and homeowners.
BY TERRY BEAUBOIS
URING THE NAHB-International Builders Show
(IBS) in Las Vegas, one key discussion addressed the Issues such as air quality and water
issue of the health of home occupants, and the related
residential design and construction. Human health in quality, materials and products,
D homes is becoming a major concern globally as more
people discover that the source of an illness may be in their home. mechanical systems and acoustics
This meeting was hosted by Bill Hayward of Hayward SCORE and
was co-hosted by Jillian Cooke (Wellness Within Your Walls), Robert all play a role in home and health-
August (North Star Synergies), Karla Butter‘eld (Steven Winter &
Associates) and Jaclyn Toole (assistant vice president, NAHB Green related issues. Balancing the
& Sustainable).
Included in the discussion was the challenge of introducing
improvement into home construction: “Contractors pushing” ideas elements of aesthetics, construction CREDIT: ACWA¢U.S. ARMY
and improvements into residential design; “homeowners pulling”
(requesting or desiring) that homes be designed to address and reduce costs and features is an ongoing
environmental health issues; the increase of government regulations
to require improvements; and the bene‘ts and tradeo˜ of each. challenge in residential markets.
“Design” is often thought of as only the visible, aesthetic aspects of
a home. But a true green home, or a “Healthy Green Home,” means
the design and construction includes all systems that will a˜ect
occupants’ lives. It also can include understanding how to achieve YOU ARE WHAT YOU BREATHE
well-coordinated systems, and the relative costs of how this is to There is overwhelming evidence that people’s health in their
be achieved in construction with value engineering considerations. home is directly a˜ected by a wide range of materials, and the
systems designed and built into homes. The quality of the air
GREEN TEAMWORK MATTERS that occupants breathe, the water that they drink, and all of the
The day after this Monday evening meeting, there was an oœcial environmental elements in and around each home play important
NAHB-IBS panel presentation and discussion, “Healthier Homes: roles in how homeowners feel while living in the homes that are
How to Cost-E˜ectively Deliver Buyers’ Must-Have Features,” which now being designed and created. Achieving each requirement set
emphasized how construction of a healthy home bene‘ts from a for healthy home design may become a regular part of preparing
team approach to the issues, the understanding of what’s at stake, a house for sale.
and the perspective and experience of each of the team members: Some of the illnesses and health problems that people are
designers, homeowners and builders. experiencing in their current homes are a direct result of design
Issues such as air quality and water quality, materials and products, problems and the selection of products and materials. If these are
mechanical systems and acoustics all play a role in home and health- corrected, people’s health could improve—especially if the source
related issues. Balancing the elements of aesthetics, construction of their illnesses are removed.
costs and features is an ongoing challenge in residential markets. In a remodeling, addition or new home, many of the choices made
We can also anticipate the future government requirements and about home design and construction are often done without the
regulations that will increase the level of how homes address health homeowner’s involvement. As a result, they may be unaware of
concerns, as well as possible testing requirements prior to the sale of a the rami‘cations of these decisions. When possible, homeowner

60 GREEN BUILDER March/April 2019 www.greenbuildermedia.com

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