Page 60 - Green Builder September-October 2018 Issue
P. 60
SMART CITIES
Breathing Room
Knowing about air quality is an
important part of green building. Breathe not-so-easy. Outdoor air quality
is just as important as indoors, and just as
easy to overlook. For example, a home
BY TERRY BEAUBOIS near a roadway could have worse air
outside than within its walls.
This is the sixth in a series of articles about the increasing interest
in—and necessity for—smart homes, villages, cities and communities
globally, and how they relate to green building in the U.S.
S AN ARCHITECT, I’ve always been aware of air
management in buildings. This includes heating,
ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC). It also includes
humidity, fresh air ventilation and air quality. Some of
A my recent experiences have signicantly increased my
awareness of how critical this issue is becoming for every building.
In many ways, air handling seemed to be a more-technical aspect
of architecture, as opposed to other more visible and aesthetic aspects
of design. Because many of the leading indicators of problems in air
quality are not visible and have no odor, measurements and testing
will become an increasingly signicant factor in addressing these
issues completely and eectively during design, construction and CREDIT: LA CITTA VITAFLICKR
post-construction. This is denitely a case of “what we don’t know
and can’t see, CAN hurt us.”
A recent survey of 16,000 U.S. homeowners and builders by
Hayward Healthy Home revealed that many people don’t know facilities. For us to make signicant contributions in this area, there
exactly what the path of air is their house is and whether this is are many social, economic, political and practical considerations. I
aecting their health. People have assumed that all materials, nishes will be attending this year’s India Conference update in September.
and furniture used in their home don’t degrade air quality. They Combined with my involvement as a team member in Stanford’s
also may assume that natural and mechanical ventilation in their Ideal Villages program, there are beginning to be approaches to
house will address air quality. We need to increase the awareness improving air quality-related health for the 1.3 billion people in India
and knowledge of air quality problems and solutions, so that we are (70 percent live in villages).
designing and building healthy homes and buildings.
Air supply and quality are crucial, as I learned through my SLUM HOUSING IN DHAKA, BANGLADESH
experiences at NASA and the Montana ecoSMART House Project, Earlier this year, I accompanied members of the Stanford Medical
detailed in previous Green Builder articles. I have learned more since. School’s Bangladesh Ventilation Research Study to Dhaka. This
project further alerted me to the seriousness of air quality issues
VILLAGES IN INDIA in buildings. The Stanford Medical School’s Bangladesh Ventilation
In 2015, I became involved in University of California at Berkeley’s Research Study led by Steve Luby, MD, investigates the slum housing
Smart Villages program headed by Professor Solomon Darwin. He of Dhaka, where the residents have some of the highest incidents of
led a six-week tour of India and then subsequent trips in 2016 and pulmonary disease (lung cancer) aecting both children and adults.
2017. While not focused on air quality specically, our work and I was privileged to be a team member on a visit to Dhaka to see
interaction with people in the villages revealed that serious health rsthand the conditions being studied. I participated in the design
issues were arising from the cooking stove fumes in village homes of windows, doors and vents to improve the natural ventilation in
and the pollution of outdoor air by brick kilns and other industrial the buildings. I will continue to include information through Green
58 GREEN BUILDER September/October 2018 www.greenbuildermedia.com
58-60 GB 0918 Smart Cities.indd 58 9/20/18 10:58 AM
