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Choosing to create a healthful or health-promoting home goes beyond
removing all of the many toxicity problems a home might have. Many
of us want to create shelter not only to meet our physical needs,
but to further our mental and spiritual fulfillment as well, to
ease the stress of today’s complex lifestyle. There is also growing
awareness of the intercon-nectedness between individuals and the
planetary society of humans, animals, plants, land, and water. Therefore,
while creating a home or a workplace, we need to think about the
environmental impact of our plans for generations to come.
The process of creating a new home starts with selection of the
site. It makes sense to select a site which is sheltered from the
winter wind, has good exposure to the sun, has natural cooling in
the summer and has healthy vegetation. The building site should
be dry, provide water, septic or sewer, and it needs to have source
of electricity. It might be difficult to find the perfect site,
but most importantly, if you feel connected to a place, an optimal
solution can always be worked out. An ideal design should take into
consideration the gifts of the land, the path of the sun and the
directions of winter and summer winds. The energy of the sun can
be utilized with active and/or passive solar design for space heating,
hot water heating, or for creating electricity. In some cases, water
and wind can be harvested to create power. The even temperature
of the earth can be utilized for heating and cooling. All the above
sources are sustainable, clean, and free of charge.
After site selection, the next major decision is the construction
method. It is ideal to build a structure which is impervious to
decay, termites, and moisture, one that is fire resistant and has
very good insulation, all while creating a low impact on the environment.
According to Bau-biologie, the exterior walls of a building act
as our third skin. (The second skin is our clothing.) A health-promoting
building regulates the temperature and moisture content of the indoor
air and provides fresh air by allowing air circulation (breathing).
Breathing walls are usually made out of porous materials, often
with thermal mass. The wall warms up the incoming air like an air
exchanger and at the same time lets moisture pass through.
Wall systems like the most common standard studwall construction
(with R 16–22 insulation) or EPS (expanded polystyrene) sandwich
panels (R 4 per inch of wall thickness) or EPS blocks filled with
concrete (Blumaxx, Polysteel, Reward, and so on) are built with
non-porous materials. These walls can be very airtight, with about
0.5 air exchange per hour, while a naturally breathing wall can
provide close to 2 air exchanges per hour. Conventional materials
tend to seal the indoor environment and neither fresh air from outside
nor moisture from inside passes through. The result is high concentrations
of indoor air pollutants and moisture condensation. Moisture condensation
promotes mold and mildew growth. Therefore, if the construction
system is airtight, the building needs to have a mechanical air
control system with fresh air intake and humidity control for the
building to function well. Airtight construction systems can serve
well in situations where controlled air quality is preferred, and
the expense of such an air system is not an obstacle.
The use of breathing materials is not very widespread in today’s
American building industry; however, these ancient ways of building
recently are being rediscovered and reworked into modern construction
methods. Natural building materials like logs, stone construction,
bricks, strawbale, adobe, rammed earth, and others can provide natural
breathability.
One of the new building materials which offers the same quality
as traditional breathable building materials is a mineralized woodchip
block system called Durisol or Faswall. It does not burn or decay,
and it provides a very high insulation value combined with rockwool
inside.The blocks have cavities like concrete blocks, which have
to be filled with concrete. This material has decades of history
in Canada and in Europe.
The other wonderful building material is called Hebel. The technology
came to our country five years ago from Europe, where it has been
developed and used widely during the last thirty years. Hebel is
now being manufactured in Georgia, so it is readily available in
our region. These solid blocks are made out of sand, limestone,
cement and water, mixed with a bubbling agent and autoclaved. It
is also called Aerated Autoclaved Concrete. This system of construction
is well developed and has exterior and interior wall blocks, and
floor panels which span up to twenty feet. The Hebel building system
is ideal for in-floor heat (radiant flooring). A ten-inch thick
wall performs as an equivalent of an R 38 studwall.
Recently, there has been a great deal of interest in strawbale
houses in our region because strawbale construction is completely
natural and very creative. It is also a breathing wall system, and
it is most commonly finished with traditional cement stucco. Humidity
can be an issue with this building material, and such houses must
be carefully built in moist areas.
Choosing the most appropriate construction method is a big step
in creating a healthy home environment, and the overall construction
costs are often affected very little when choosing healthier building
materials.
After the construction method and materials are chosen, other important
decisions follow, such as the types of finishes to use. The combined
effect of the outgassing from different materials can be serious
health hazard. Most materials which emit toxic gases take four to
five years to “outgas,” or lose the intensity of their toxicity.
Fortunately there are alternatives available in almost every area.
Some are more expensive than standard finishes, and some are surprisingly
affordable, but any extra cost is well worth it. The overall construction
costs can rise from 0–25% when using non-toxic or low-toxic finishing
materials. Try to reduce toxicity as much as possible, and if you
cannot avoid it 100%, seal toxic materials where you can and air
out your home regularly, especially when you move into a newly-constructed
home. [See “Detoxify
Your House!” by Cindy Meehan-Patton for more information on
finishing material toxicity and alternatives.]
Last, but not least important, is to emphasize the spiritual aspects
of design. How does one create an inspiring, wholesome atmosphere?
The organization and shape of spaces, the choice of materials, colors
and lighting, the unique requirements of your life combined with
the characteristics of the site should result in a harmonious design
and provide you with inspiration and upliftment to enhance your
life. Therefore, feel encouraged to discover your personal preferences
throughout the process of designing or re-designing your home.
Alice Dodson is a local architect who specializes in designing
healthy homes. You can reach her at (828)645-9326, 35 Lakeshore
Drive, Weaverville, NC 28787, dodson1@mindspring.com.
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